Haemophiliac victims of the infected blood scandal who attended Treloar’s are due at the High Court to have their case against the Alton school heard by a judge.

The hearing to decide whether the ‘Treloar’s Boys’ can proceed with a Group Litigation Order is set for February 26.

Advised by Collins Solicitors, lead claimant Gary Webster is representing 36 former pupils - including Adrian Goodyear, Steve Nicholls, Richard Warwick and the families of some of the 72 who have died - in a claim for damages following flawed and allegedly unlawful treatment at Treloar’s in the 1970s and 1980s.

The victims were infected with viruses including Hepatitis A, B and C, and HIV, as a result of receiving contaminated Factor VIII and Factor IX based blood products as haemophilia treatment at an NHS clinic on the school site.

Those still alive have suffered lifelong ill health and life-affecting consequences, including physical and psychological harm.

The claim being brought against the trust governing the school was filed in January 2022. The High Court permission hearing will be heard by The Senior Master and is expected to last one day.

Gary Webster, who was at Treloar’s from 1975 to 1983 and still lives in Hampshire, told the Herald: “Treloar’s have never been helpful in this case, either when we first contacted them six or seven years ago or even at the inquiry.

“They deny all knowledge and refuse to have anything to do with it. They are hiding behind the government, as they are paying compensation, and the NHS, as it happened in their part of the school. They said the school had no control over it, but we know they employed two doctors and built a laboratory.”

In a statement issued before the hearing, Mr Webster added: “We are bringing this case to hold Treloar School accountable for their failure to discharge their duty of care to pupils for whom they acted in loco parentis.

“The haemophilia treatment I and others received was given without our parents’ informed consent and the treatment risks were never explained to us or them.”

Adrian Goodyear, a pupil from 1980 to 1989 and also still a Hampshire resident, added: “The fact this was avoidable only adds to our anguish. We owe it to our classmates to take this all the way until the school finally accepts liability for its part in this appalling tale.”

Commenting on the revelations of the Infected Blood Inquiry, Des Collins, senior partner of Collins Solicitors, said: “The conclusions of Sir Brian Langstaff’s Final Report of last May confirmed the total abrogation of responsibility that went on.”

Speaking to the Herald, Mr Webster added: “The head said the doctors were gods and it wasn’t his position to ask. I’m sure if I hadn’t been at Treloar’s and I was at hospital, my parents would have been asking ‘why is he being put on Factor VIII, why can’t he stay on cryoprecipitate?’.

“They had a cohort of 122 boys and they did what they liked. There’s all the documents that said it would have been unethical to do it anywhere else - that’s just mind-blowing.

“Those boys have died through experimentation and research on children which was never explained and done over a period of eight years.

“We’re not holding Treloar’s wholly responsible for what happened, we just want them to accept partial responsibility.

“Treloar’s is now a wonderful place for disabled children, but from 1970 to 1983 it was very different.

“I think Treloar’s should at least be questioned and held accountable, and we deserve our day in court.”

A Treloar’s spokesperson said: “We’re unable to comment due to ongoing legal proceedings.”