Eric Cullen
Encyclopedia
Eric Robertson Cullen (12 July 1965 — 16 August 1996) was a Scottish
actor who was famous for his role as Wee Burney in BBC
's Rab C Nesbitt. He was born with achondroplasia
- a type of dwarfism.
. He was diagnosed with achondroplasia
at the age of seven.
He was known as Noj to his friends
. Cullen eventually found lasting fame playing the youngest son, Wee Burney, in the first three seasons of Rab C. Nesbitt
. However he left the series, owing to personal problems, in December 1993.
by a violent paedophile ring as a teenager, and since his condition meant that he looked much younger than he was, this abuse continued into his twenties. Once he became a successful actor, his abusers returned to extort money with menaces. As a result he developed severe clinical depression
.
the media outcry following his arrest effectively ended his acting career. Although the prosecution accepted that Cullen was storing the material under the duress of his abusers, he was nevertheless sent to prison, although he was released after fifteen days pending his subsequent successful appeal against sentence.
Once the court case was out of the way Cullen dedicated himself to campaigning against child pornography, and to trying to bring his abusers to justice. Of the three men he named as his principal abusers one, Francis Currens, was jailed during Cullen's lifetime; one, Cullen's uncle Jack Williams, was jailed after his death (both of them for a catalogue of offences including the repeated rape of young boys); and as of summer 2006 one, whom Cullen named as the ringleader, has never been prosecuted - or even seriously investigated.
Cullen's arrest in 1993, followed by a long drawn-out police investigation and the persecution by the press, destabilised his mental defences leaving him suicidal for many months. As soon as his prison sentence had been quashed on appeal, he began to be offered acting parts again, but he was still too ill with severe Posttraumatic stress disorder to resume work.
, which followed on from surgery for a twisted bowel, he had been asked to take up the role of Wee Burney again. He was however in two minds as to whether to resume his acting career or become a Clinical Psychologist specialising in the treatment of abuse victims; he already had a BA in psychology, and had been accepted to begin a more advanced course in Forensic Psychology that autumn.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
actor who was famous for his role as Wee Burney in BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Rab C Nesbitt. He was born with achondroplasia
Achondroplasia
Achondroplasia dwarfism occurs as a sporadic mutation in approximately 85% of cases or may be inherited in an autosomal dominant genetic disorder that is a common cause of dwarfism...
- a type of dwarfism.
Early life
He was born to a single mother and was adopted by a family from HamiltonHamilton, South Lanarkshire
Hamilton is a town in South Lanarkshire, in the west-central Lowlands of Scotland. It serves as the main administrative centre of the South Lanarkshire council area. It is the fifth-biggest town in Scotland after Paisley, East Kilbride, Livingston and Cumbernauld...
. He was diagnosed with achondroplasia
Achondroplasia
Achondroplasia dwarfism occurs as a sporadic mutation in approximately 85% of cases or may be inherited in an autosomal dominant genetic disorder that is a common cause of dwarfism...
at the age of seven.
He was known as Noj to his friends
Acting career
Cullen began acting at school. He started to find roles appearing in several theatre groups before appearing in several 1980s Scottish TV programmes, particularly A Kick Up the EightiesA Kick Up the Eighties
A Kick Up the Eighties was a 1981-1984 BBC Scotland sketch show starring Robbie Coltrane, Tracey Ullman, Richard Stilgoe, Miriam Margolyes, Rik Mayall, Ron Bain and Roger Sloman....
. Cullen eventually found lasting fame playing the youngest son, Wee Burney, in the first three seasons of Rab C. Nesbitt
Rab C. Nesbitt
Rab C. Nesbitt is a Scottish sitcom which began in 1988. Produced by BBC Scotland, it stars Gregor Fisher as an alcoholic Glaswegian who believed unemployment was the life for him...
. However he left the series, owing to personal problems, in December 1993.
Victim of Abuse
Cullen was sexually abusedSexual abuse
Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another. When that force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault. The offender is referred to as a sexual abuser or molester...
by a violent paedophile ring as a teenager, and since his condition meant that he looked much younger than he was, this abuse continued into his twenties. Once he became a successful actor, his abusers returned to extort money with menaces. As a result he developed severe clinical depression
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
.
Arrest
When he was arrested in 1993 for possession of child pornographyChild pornography
Child pornography refers to images or films and, in some cases, writings depicting sexually explicit activities involving a child...
the media outcry following his arrest effectively ended his acting career. Although the prosecution accepted that Cullen was storing the material under the duress of his abusers, he was nevertheless sent to prison, although he was released after fifteen days pending his subsequent successful appeal against sentence.
Child campaigner
Although many Scottish newspapers assumed that Cullen was a paedophile himself, and in fact continued to hound him throughout his life and even after death, he was treated for nineteen months by psychiatrist Dr Prem Misra, one of the UK's leading experts on child abusers and abuse survivors, and Dr Misra has stated publicly that Eric Cullen showed no trace of any perversion whatsoever, and that he is absolutely certain that he was only ever a victim of abuse and not an abuser himself. Cullen worked with children all his adult life, including a spell as a primary school teacher, and the police could find no child with even the slightest complaint against him.Once the court case was out of the way Cullen dedicated himself to campaigning against child pornography, and to trying to bring his abusers to justice. Of the three men he named as his principal abusers one, Francis Currens, was jailed during Cullen's lifetime; one, Cullen's uncle Jack Williams, was jailed after his death (both of them for a catalogue of offences including the repeated rape of young boys); and as of summer 2006 one, whom Cullen named as the ringleader, has never been prosecuted - or even seriously investigated.
Cullen's arrest in 1993, followed by a long drawn-out police investigation and the persecution by the press, destabilised his mental defences leaving him suicidal for many months. As soon as his prison sentence had been quashed on appeal, he began to be offered acting parts again, but he was still too ill with severe Posttraumatic stress disorder to resume work.
Death
Only a day or two before his fatal heart attackMyocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
, which followed on from surgery for a twisted bowel, he had been asked to take up the role of Wee Burney again. He was however in two minds as to whether to resume his acting career or become a Clinical Psychologist specialising in the treatment of abuse victims; he already had a BA in psychology, and had been accepted to begin a more advanced course in Forensic Psychology that autumn.
Acting career
- Huntingtower
- Playfair
- The Camerons
- Govan Ghost Story
- Deathwatch
- A Kick Up the EightiesA Kick Up the EightiesA Kick Up the Eighties was a 1981-1984 BBC Scotland sketch show starring Robbie Coltrane, Tracey Ullman, Richard Stilgoe, Miriam Margolyes, Rik Mayall, Ron Bain and Roger Sloman....
- Laugh, I Nearly Paid My Licence Fee
- Scotch & Wry
- Rab C Nesbitt