THE father of the UK’s leading Michael Bublé impersonator who was given 'his start in show business' by a former Newport head teacher accused of historic child abuse said he has been shocked by the allegations.

Lee Arthur, 57, from Newport, is the father and manager of Rickie Arthur, 27, who was taught to sing classically and play piano by former Malpas Church in Wales head Jon Styler.

In 2013, Mr Arthur outperformed 200 other Michael Bublé impersonators to be named Bublé’s official number one tribute act by the Agents Association of Great Britain.

His father, Lee, credits Jon Styler for this achievement and says that in his Will, Styler even requested that Rickie sang Les Misérables ballad Bring Him Home at his funeral.

Last month, the Argus detailed the account of former Malpas Church in Wales pupil Jeffrey Parry, 50, who alleged that Styler used piano lessons to abuse him at his home after he left school.

Lee Arthur said his son has been shocked by the allegations and added that he did not experience such treatment when taking lessons at Styler’s home between the ages of 14 and 18 in 2002-2006.

He said: “I’m still in shock over it. He was always a gentleman and became a friend. All he did was help us.

“Rickie couldn’t believe it. We didn’t have that experience….we always trusted Jon. He gave him his start in show business. He gave him that chance.

“If he did do all that, it’s very bad. I’m very sorry for the rest if he has done that.

“If I was in that position, I would be absolutely livid.”

The Argus has since learnt that former pupils at St Julian’s School in the Isle of Wight, Brynglas Primary School in Newport and Bowbrook Private School in Hartlebury have also come forward.

One of the alleged victims said that Styler used the baseball team at Brynglas Primary to groom pupils, while he was head there between 1968 and 1971.

A spokeswoman for Newport City Council revealed that they have school diaries from the period Styler was head teacher at Malpas Church in Wales school, but they don’t hold any personal documentation belonging to Styler.

She said: “The vast majority of the people whose personal information appears in these diaries are living and therefore disclosing them would reveal personal information about living individuals, which is protected by the Data Protection Act.”

Styler, who lived alone at Queens Hill Crescent, Newport, committed suicide while on police bail in 2007.

He had been arrested on suspicion of similar offences, allegedly committed 27 years earlier. Styler had been due to surrender to bail on the day he died.

In a letter to his solicitor before his death, he expressed his anxiety that friends and family should find out about the allegations being investigated.