Again this is a case in Australia but it could easily be the UK..so similar :

LAWYER for three men who pleaded not guilty to sexual abuse at a NSW boarding school has labelled the case a "witch hunt".

The three men, together facing 125 child sex offences allegedly committed at Bathurst's St Stanislaus College, today pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Former Catholic priest Brian Spillane, 65, appeared in Bathurst Local Court this morning charged with 93 sex offences dating from 1979-1988 when he worked as a school chaplin in the Catholic boys boarding school in the NSW central wst.

Former St Stanislaus vice principal John Gaven, 66, who is charged with 28 child sex offences, and former principal Peter Dwyer, 65, charged with four sex were not required to attend court.
Beth Walker, appearing on behalf of the DPP said, "there may well be up to 100 additional statements, there may well be up to 40 complaintants with respect to Mr Spillane alone."

The three men are currently on bail and required to report to authorities on a weekly basis.

Outside the courtroom, Mr Walsh evoked the crucible and said his clients had been subject to a witch hunt.

"It is a witch hunt," he said. "What we have here are examples of mass hysteria and moral panic.

"What we've seen to date in this case is, in my view, nothing short of a disgrace.

"Each of these men have pleaded not guilty, they strenuously assert their innocence, they deny all allegations.

"We've seen over-zealous police officers, zealous media reporting which has utterly prejudiced and sought to prejudice my clients' legitimate rights," Mr Walsh said.

Standing behind Mr Walsh as he criticised evidence based on "repressed memory" and likened the allegations of abuse at St Stanislaus to "John Proctor seeing dragons in his house," was a 35-year-old alleged victim who can not be named for legal reasons.

"Well, I think they are witches," the alleged victim told reporters.

www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25...4347840-2702,00.html
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While obviously I know nothing about the these men several things strike me..

# it's about the first time I've heard the word "complainants" used instead of "victims'..but the media still refers to them as "victims"-highly prejudicial !

# the police took out adverts in local newspapers requesting "possible victims" (the word they used) to come forward. This is the infamous method of "trawling" that Richard Webster has written of many times that has led to so much grief in UK cases where dozens of innocent people were charged, jailed and finally released with some committing suicide.

# to say there is a "possible 40 complainants" in respect to one man-this sounds absolutely far-fetched-to think that 40 'victims" could all suddenly appear after all these years. It isn't as like there hasn't been dozens of similar cases especially in the Catholic Church.

# one man charged has already been tried and found innocent but he died shortly after of a heart attack-his family claim the stress of the trial brought it on.