Latest Offenders Ayrshire

Description

A SEX offender has admitted masturbating on a public bus in front of a group of children and threatening to rape a schoolgirl.

Gordon Sawers told a primary school-aged female that he was “going to rape and stab yous" during the incident on board the vehicle which was travelling between Kilmarnock and Ardrossan.

The 46-year-old pleaded guilty to a total of five charges when he appeared at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court on Tuesday, November 26.

The Stagecoach vehicle was pulled over by police in Kilwinning on February 25 this year.

Sawers accepted a charge of communicating indecently with teenage girls, another of indecently causing a youth to hear sexual communications and threatening her with sexual violence, along with an offence of public indecency.

The incident took place at around 4pm on the day in question, procurator fiscal depute Fraser Alexander told the court, when Sawers was travelling on the double decker bus, sitting within the rear seats upstairs.

During the journey, a group of girls came on board and sat together close to where Sawers was located.

"Sawers then began to engage the girls in conversation. Very quickly this turned onto a sexual conversation," Mr Alexander told the court.

"To be clear, it was the accused only that was making any sexual references."

The prosecutor then detailed a number of specific explicit remarks made by Sawers, who is now described as a prisoner at HMP Kilmarnock, towards two of the group.

He told the pair "I will take you to my house and s**g you", adding “I will inject you with heroin” before warning he would “get with your maw".

Sawers made further comments which were directed towards the youngest member of the group.

He stated that he wanted to perform a sexual act upon the girl and told her “I’m going to rape and stab yous and that”.

The court heard that Sawers then proceeded to perform a sex act on himself, causing the youngsters to be "distressed" and "visibly upset".

It was at this stage that another passenger who was travelling on the bus informed the driver of Sawers' conduct - with the police immediately contacted.

The bus pulled over on Pennyburn Road where officers attended and traced the offender.

He was arrested and taken to Saltcoats police office where he was cautioned and charged and made no reply.

Sawers later appeared in court and was granted bail - an order which he breached on two occasions in May of this year having been found out with his home address.

Defence solicitor Brian Holliman asked for sentence to be deferred for the preparation of background reports and to call alongside other, unrelated, matters which are outstanding.

Sheriff Nicola Patrick set a date for sentencing in the new year with the lawyer reserving further comment until then.

Sawers will be remanded in custody in the meantime and was added to the sex offenders register in the interim.

Description

A REPEAT sex offender who sent pictures of his privates to someone he thought was a 14-year-old girl is awaiting sentence.

Gordon Brown, 69, pleaded guilty to two charges of indecent behaviour towards a child aged between 13 and 16, who was in fact an adult, when he appeared from custody at Ayr Sheriff Court.

He admitted to causing an older child to look at a sexual image, as well as communicating indecently with an older child between August 11 and August 13 this year in Cumnock Road, Mauchline, with court papers stating that the conduct was carried out for sexual gratification, humiliating, distressing or alarming the victim.

Brown admitted sending sexual messages and attempting to meet a child in his car.

We previously reported his arrest in the Mauchline area - after he was stung by so-called 'paedophile hunters' online having made contact with a decoy profile posing as a child.

Procurator fiscal depute Craig Wainwright told the court Brown was committed for further examination and remanded in custody after bail was refused when he returned to court last week (November 11).

He said: "The witness is from Protect our Kids Online, the aim of the group is to keep children safe on social media.

"Prior to the dates of offending, he set up a profile on a dating app claiming to be 20 and called 'Rubie'. It used a picture of a female child, who was considerably younger.

"It lay dormant awaiting others to make contact.

"At 8.42pm on August 11 it was contacted by the accused using a profile named Gordon, the profile was of the accused standing topless. It said he was 68 and from Kilmarnock.

"He repeatedly told 'Rubie' 'she' was 'gorgeous'.

"He stated he was going for a shower and he was 'stripped naked' and 'getting cold'.

"During the exchange 'she' said 'she' was really 14-years-old. He stated 'If you weren't so young I could show you'."

The prosecutor added: "'She' said 'she' would not be able to see and didn't want to get in trouble.

"He said 'she' was gorgeous and offered to send a picture in his boxer shorts.

"The conversation moved to WhatsApp. During the exchange, he said he took images of himself after getting out the shower and asked if sending a pic 'would cheer her up'."

Brown replied saying 'it was up to you'. He told the profile 'I will let you see it', then sent an image of his erect penis.

Brown then sent an image of his lower half boxer shorts exposed and sent a further image.

Messages continued, with repeated references to him being naked and in the showers.

The fiscal depute added: "He sent other images of himself with his face visible and [privates] exposed.

"At no point did Rubie invite contact."

Brown was later reported to police and confessed to communicating with 'Rubie' during an interview with officers.

Representing Brown during the hearing, solicitor John Gallagher reserved any plea in mitigation given the nature of the offences ahead of criminal justice social work reports and a risk assessment being completed.

Sheriff Shirley Foran said: "You will be remanded in custody in the meantime.

"Regarding the nature of the offence you will be subject to the registration requirements of the sex offences legislation.

"The extent will be made known to you at final disposal."

He was returned to custody and is due to return to Ayr Sheriff Court at a later date.

Description

A child sex attacker who attempted to rape a 15-year-old girl before she managed to escape his clutches has been handed a lifelong restriction order after being described as a "considerable threat" to women and children.

Andrew Anderson, 40, was previously found guilty of sexually assaulting the teen with intent to rape. And at the High Court in Edinburgh on Thursday, October 3, he was jailed for a minimum of three years as part of the order, after being deemed a risk to the public.

The court heard how he preyed on the girl one evening in Kilmarnock town centre. Prosecutors told how he repeatedly asked to kiss her, told her to lie on the ground, lay beside her, placed his hand inside her lower clothing, pulled her towards him, repeatedly requested that she have sexual intercourse with him, and sexually assaulted her.

When sentencing, Lord Matthews said: "It was only with great presence of mind that she managed to trick you and escape from your clutches before alerting police officers who were patrolling nearby."

It comes after Anderson was convicted of raping a 13-year-old girl, for which he was jailed for six years in 2006. When he was found guilty of raping two other women and indecently assaulting a third at houses in Cumnock and Kilmarnock, he was placed on an Order for Lifelong Restriction at the High Court in Glasgow in 2018.

The thug was jailed for a minimum of five years and he was warned he might never be released. However, the conviction was quashed in 2019 after the Court of Appeal in Edinburgh ruled that a legal rule on corroboration which is used in sex cases, known as the Moorov doctrine, was wrongly applied.

Sources said Anderson, who previously claimed to have children with “nine or 10 different women”, was then trying to sue prosecutors for the harm caused while he was wrongly imprisoned but lawyers reportedly refused to take on his case.

He claimed that during the period he spent behind bars, his relationship with his partner suffered, possessions – including a PlayStation and television – vanished and he was unable to attend the funerals of loved ones.

A woman involved in the case previously told how she was "disgusted" that he was pursuing compensation. It's unknown whether he took legal action any further but Anderson has been in custody since November 2022. Due to another prison term during that stint in custody, Anderson's latest sentence runs from November 23, 2023.

Lord Matthews described him as a "persistent offender" as he went through his lengthy record. The judge added: "I ordered a Risk Assessment Report and can safely say that it is the most pessimistic I have ever read. You represent a considerable threat to vulnerable women, female adolescents and female children.

"In the circumstances the only way I can properly protect the public is by imposing on you an Order for Lifelong Restriction. In doing so I have to set a period of time, the punishment part of your sentence, which must pass before you can apply for parole.

"Whether you are successful in any such application will be a matter for others to decide. This is not a sentence of imprisonment for three years and you will only be released when it is considered safe to do so."

Anderson was also made subject to the Sex Offenders' Register for an indefinite period and Scottish Ministers will be informed of his conviction.

Description

A sex offender has been jailed for raping a blind teenager 30 years his junior while she was asleep - then continuing the attack when she woke up.

Derek Boyd preyed on the woman, who had just turned 19, at a property in his home town of Irvine, Ayrshire. He was described in court papers as "significantly overweight".

Boyd, who was 48 at the time, claimed the encounter with the teenager was consensual, forcing her to give evidence against him during his trial.

He went on trial at the High Court in Kilmarnock earlier this year. The court heard that Boyd began raping the young woman, who is registered blind, while she was asleep.

The court was also told that she woke up during the ordeal and tried to push Boyd off her. But she was unable to do so and he continued to rape her while she was awake.

Boyd denied raping the woman, insisting that they had had consensual sex. But the jury rejected his claims and found him guilty of a single charge of rape.

Boyd targeted the young woman, who can't be identified for legal reasons, at the North Ayrshire property on June 10, 2022. He then moved to Ardrossan, Ayrshire.

The dad-of-one was given an eight-year-and-three-month extended sentence.

The sentence is made up of a six-year-and-three-month prison term, and a two-year extended sentence, which will see him supervised by social workers on his release from prison.

Boyd was also placed on the sex offenders' register indefinitely and made the subject of a Non-Harassment Order (NHO) for a period of 10 years.

The Non-Harassment Order sees the 51-year-old banned from approaching or contacting the woman in any way over the next decade.

Description

A pervert teacher who sexually assaulted a female pupil on school grounds has avoided jail. Asif Rafiq, 48, lost his job as a technological studies teacher after groping a female student in February last year.

He was found guilty of sexual assault following a trial at Ayr Sheriff Court in April.

Yesterday the disgraced former educator was handed a Community Payback Order (CPO), which includes 18 months supervision and 200 hours of unpaid work. For 18 months, any employment or voluntary opportunities will need to be approved by his supervisor.

Rafiq was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register.

The court previously heard how he placed his arms around the pupil, put his hands on her buttocks, squeezed her buttocks and kissed her on the face on "various occasions''. Rafiq was suspended from teaching in 2023.

The school where he worked previously shared a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, describing Rafiq as a "pleasure to work with".

The post read: "Huge congratulations to our beloved Mr Rafiq in being signed off for his General Teaching Council Scotland (GTCS) professional update. GTCS accredited teacher for teaching and learning, football lead. Great job, a pleasure to work with as always".

The post was accompanied by a picture of Rafiq holding flowers and a bottle of champagne. The post was retweeted by the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) at the time. The school has now deleted all traces of Rafiq from their website and social media pages.

Locals were left shocked when the former teacher's behaviour came to light. Further concerns were raised in May when the Record revealed that the sex offender had been working at a petrol station in East Ayrshire, close to a number of schools.

He was pictured at the garage surrounded by crates of fizzy juice and sweets. One resident told the Record that parents were "worried sick".

They said: "It's shocking that this teacher has abused his power of the trust put in him and it's worrying to think that he could be serving kids at this garage. It has left other mums, dads and carers worried sick."

Labour councillor Ian Canava said: "Due to the fact he has been found guilty, he shouldn't be anywhere near a school or in a vicinity where there are children nearby.

"I am so disgusted that a teacher who is in a position of trust could commit such crimes. I am appalled that Rafiq abused his position of trust and his victim will be left traumatised by this ordeal."

Local SNP MSP Siobhian Brown previously said: “I would like to express my deepest sympathy to the victim in this case. I commend their bravery in coming forward and sharing this horrific experience with the police.

"I hope they are getting the support they need. It is their courage that has helped bring the perpetrator of this crime to justice and prevent it happening to anyone else.”

South Ayrshire Council confirmed in May that they were aware that Rafiq was working in a garage and that they were following all relevant policies and procedures.

The General Teaching Council for Scotland has been approached for comment.

Description

Alexander Cameron Paterson, who is known as Cameron, attacked two women between 2003 and 2016.

A violent serial rapist who sexually abused a woman in a hospital, forced her to take part in group sex sessions and left another disabled and scarred for life has been caged for 10 years for the horrendous abuse.

Alexander Cameron Paterson, who is known as Cameron, repeatedly raped and assaulted the women in a 13-year reign of terror between 2003 and 2016.

The 45-year-old attacked the women, who can't be named for legal reasons, at addresses across Scotland, also abusing his second victim in a number of hotels.

He denied he'd done anything wrong but was convicted of 12 charges following a trial at the High Court in Paisley. The jury found him guilty of four charges of raping the first woman and one of leaving her scarred for life and disabled.

The jury also convicted him of six charges of rape and one of assault against the second woman, and he was sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh earlier this month.

Paterson, most recently of Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, carried out the first rape at a property in Paisley, Renfrewshire, in November 2003, restricting his victim's breathing by clamping his hand over her mouth and nose and restraining her hands.

His second rape of the woman took place at the same Paisley property in January 2004, and saw him pushing her onto a bed, using a belt to restrain her, and grabbing her by the hair.

Later the same month he raped her for a third time at the property after dragging her along the floor, dragging her down a set of stairs and forcing her outside, hitting her on the face and strangling her, restricting her breathing.

In April 2004 he raped her again, again at the same address, and later that month he committed the attack that left her scarred for life and disabled, after he pushed her through a glass door.

Court papers state he grabbed her by the body and pulled her back through the broken glass door, causing her to fall unconscious, before he moved her. He lifted her onto a bed and undressed her, then dressed her in other clothes.

The charge he was convicted of states "permanent disfigurement and permanent impairment" were caused to her by the attack.He first attacked his second victim in October 2007, at a property in Barrhead, East Renfrewshire.

He dragged her along a floor and onto a bed and spat on her before raping her. He also raped her on a number of occasions at the same address between January 2008 and November 2010, while she was asleep and incapable of giving or withholding her consent.

He also repeatedly sexually abused her between December 2010 and May 2014, at the Barrhead property and an unnamed hospital in Scotland. Some of the attacks took place while she was sleeping and could not consent.

In November 2012 he assaulted her, by raining punches on her face, while they were within the Barrhead home. And Between January and May 2013 he made her perform a sex act on a woman at a hotel in Lanark, Lanarkshire.

The same year, he also raped her while forcing her to take part in a foursome, with an unidentified man and woman, at a hotel in Glasgow. And in July 2016 he raped her at a hotel in Bishopton, Renfrewshire.

He was also placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for the offences and was made the subject of a Non-Harassment Order, banning him from having any contact with both victims.

Description

A pervert has been jailed for more than three years for amassing a sick hoard of images portraying child abuse and depictions of human torture.  

Thomas Highet was also charged with importing a child sex doll into the UK but prosecutors accepted a not guilty plea as part of a deal. 

Highet was put on the sex offender register for 10 years and given a five-year prevention order after admitting downloading and possessing the images at his home in Townhead Street, Stevenston. 

The judge placed him on a further sexual offences prevention order on jailing the repeat-offender, adding it was particularly concerning he committed the offences while allowed out on a court order.

The 66-year-old pleaded guilty to taking, permitting to be taken or making indecent images depicting child abuse between May 23, 2021 and June 19 last year.

He also admitted possessing the images at his home between May 2021 and June 23, 2022. 

Highet pleaded guilty to a third charge of being in possession of extreme images between January 18 and June 23 last year, including depictions of the torture and mutilation of a human. 

Highet, who was described in court papers as a prisoner at HMP Kilmarnock, was previously remanded in custody. 

When he returned to court on Monday, November 6, defence agent Brian Holliman said: "This is a case where there is very little for me that can be said, or that Mr Highet wants said. The offences speak for themselves.

"Given his previous convictions he knows a custodial sentence is inevitable and will be of some duration with the gravity of the offences. 

"There is no mitigation to advise in the plea, he has taken responsibility for his conduct."

Sheriff Colin Bissett said: “Mr Highet, for reasons highlighted, this case is of particular concern to the court. You committed these despicable offenses on a court order designed to prevent this type of offending.

"It is particularly concerning that you simply fail to understand what you are doing is wrong.

"It seems no disposal will bring that upon you, and that is somewhat depressing."

He was jailed for a total of 40 months backdated to when he was remanded on January 12.

As part of his five-year sexual offender prevention order he was prohibited from any contact with any child under 16 and banned from public parks and leisure centres.

He will be required to inform monitoring officers of any electronic devices capable of accessing the internet, permit inspection and provide passwords.

He must not delete any internet browsing history, calls or messages and not download software disguising his online activity.

Highet will also remain subject to standard police notification requirements as a sex offender for 10 years.

Description

A VILE sex predator who continuously raped and abused an 11-year-old boy from Warrington has been jailed.

Daniel Sneddon began sexually assaulting his victim just days before his tenth birthday in 2021.

He would reward and groom his victim with presents, even purchasing him a bond touch bracelet to communicate with him when he was not there in person.

Sneddon, of Galston Road, Kilmarnock, appeared at Chester Crown court today, Monday, facing charges of four counts of sexual assault on a child, two counts of rape of a child and two counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child present.

Prosecuting, Anna Pope said the defendant pleaded guilty to nine counts to sexual offences of a child under 18.

She told the courts that Sneddon’s victim is under 12.

“The sexual abuse started shortly before the victim’s tenth birthday” Ms Pope said.

“Daniel started to test the waters with the victim to see what he could do to him.

“The defendant exposed his penis to him and asked him to perform a sexual act, after he bought him a present from Asda and a McDonalds.”

The abuse continued over a period of two years with one occasion where the defendant stayed in a Premier Inn with his victim and exposed himself to him again before asking him to perform sexual acts ‘in return for a gift’.

Sneddon raped his victim and isolated him. He would frequently communicate with him through a ‘bond touch bracelet’ he purchased for both of them.

The victim began not wearing the bracelet due to the amount of times Sneddon would try to contact him throughout the days.

“On one occasion, the defendant asked the victim to take part in sexual activities.

“The defendant told the victim that if he did it he would buy him more presents,” Ms Pope said.

“If the victim did not do what he was told by the defendant, the defendant would become angry and begin slapping him in the face and choking him.

“On one occasion he threatened to drown the victim in a river.”

As part of the extensive grooming that took place over the two years, Sneddon paid for his victim to attend a Lewid Capaldi concert.

He even shared a TikTok account with the child, where they would create videos. Unbeknown to him, his victim would edit the videos with the message ‘help’.

“It was a cry for help,” Ms Pope added.

Matters eventually came to light after the victim’s mother saw a screenshot on the victim’s phone of a message from the defendant, saying ‘I really liked it when you touched me in the living room’.

On March 6 this year Sneddon was arrested and gave a statement denying the allegations.

Police officers photographed a large tattoo on Sneddon’s arm of a name, this was in fact the victim’s name.

The victim provided a personal statement which was read out in court and detailed to what extent the sexual abuse he was subjected to by Sneddon has affected his life and mental health.

“Daniel groomed and sexually abused me. Whilst it was happening, I was confused and scared. I felt depressed and anxious.

“When my mum found the conversation on my phone, I was frightened I would get in trouble and that they would not believe me.

“When I told the police the truth, the weight on my shoulders started to lift.

“There was a time when I could not sleep for days. I struggled with the pressure of the ongoing investigation. I could not believe he had done that to me.

“All I wanted was for people to believe me and for Daniel to admit what he did was wrong.”

Another victim statement was provided by the victim’s mother which was also read out to the court.

“From the first moment I realised Daniel had abused my son I blamed myself. I asked myself what I could have done differently to protect him.”

Ms Pope explained how the mother is ‘plagued with constant fear’ about how the events have affected her son.

A Final statement was provided by Ellie Weaver a mental health worker who was contacted by the police in September 2023 to review the victim at Warrington Hospital.

Main concerns reported to Ms Weaver were of hallucinations and suicidal thoughts that the young boy had experienced since the sexual abuse.

Defending, Max Saffman said: “Prior to this offending he was a man of good character.

“Social services were involved with him and his family from the age of one.

“What is overwhelming from the psychological report, is that he suffers considerably from Autism.”

Concluding, Judge Thompson addressed Sneddon in reference to the sexual abuse he put his victim through.

“You used him affectively as your sexual plaything.

“What in fact you were doing is regularly and systematically abusing him.

“It has caused in my judgement, psychological harm to a child. It has understandably caused dreadful harm to his family and his mother.

“The only person who’s fault it was is you. Unfortunately, whether it is because of your autism spectrum disorder, you do not accept this.

“Taking into account everything I have read about you, in my judgement there is no way it can excuse the way you have behaved.

“You have an unhealthy interest in children and in this child.”

Judge Thompson determined the offender to be a risk to the safety of children.

Sneddon was handed an extended sentence of 17.5 years of which he will serve two thirds of before it is decided if it is safe for him to be released and serve the rest on licence.

A restraining order has also been put in place against the victim and his family as well as a sexual harm prevention order.

Description

Police chiefs have paid tribute to 'each survivor' of a horror Ayrshire sex attacker after he was caged for 12 years.

Hugh Derby was sentenced to 12 years behind bars for non-recent sexual offences against young females in Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway.

The 52-year-old was sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh on Tuesday for crimes that happened between 1999 and 2014.

Now, top detectives who probed the sex offender have thanked victims for coming forward to help with their investigations.

Detective Inspector Gavin Chisholm said: "I want to thank each survivor of Derby's crimes who assisted us with our investigations. This has been a very lengthy and distressing time for them to finally see their perpetrator face justice. He will now face the consequences of his despicable actions.

"I hope this provides some form of comfort as they try to move forward with their lives.

Description

Disgust as Ayrshire sex beast first aider worked at charity event while on bail

Scott Faulkner appeared at a string of events after being released on bail in 2021 including the Ayrshire Hospice Go Purple Walk.

A caged sex beast continued to work as a first aider despite facing trial for rape and abduction of a teenage boy.

Creep Scott Faulkner continued to carry out his job providing emergency care at major events.

The Ayrshire Post can reveal the shameless first aider from Cumnock attended a string of events between July 2021 and September 2021, despite being charged for offences in February of that year. 

The 34-year-old was jailed at Glasgow High Court last month for 12 years after he was previously convicted after a trail in Edinburgh of six charges.

But despite facing those charges in 2021, Faulkner popped up at UK music festivals as far away as London and Peterborough.

Scott Faulkner continued to work with now defunct Burnside Event First Aid (Image: Burnside Event First Aid) 

The then suspected rapist also appeared at events back home, including the Ayrshire Hospice Go Purple Event.

Another chilling image shows Faulkner smiling behind a mask as he raises his hands up in the air in celebration.

This week the Ayrshire Hospice have stressed they were unaware of charges Faulkner was facing and that he broke their trust by appearing at their event.

Burnside Event First Aid boss at the time, Jonathan Peffers, has claimed he wasn’t aware of Faulkner’s attendance at such events until this newspaper alerted him to Faulkner’s appearances.

 Scott Faulkner was sentenced at Glasgow High Court last month 

Following his arrest Faulkner was removed as director of Burnside Event First Aid with Jonathan Peffers appointment in March 2021, as listed on Companies House.

Mr Peffers who now owns his own first aid firm Skylark Event Medical Services claims he was “out of the country” when Faulkner ghosted in to work three events, including the Go Purple Walk.

A spokesperson for Skylark Events Medical Services: “Both Jonathan Peffers and Skylark Event Medical Services Ltd deplore the behaviour and actions of Scott Faulkner that were the subject of his conviction.

“Mr Peffers was not aware of Scott Faulkner’s behaviour and actions. After he was charged and released on bail, Scott Faulkner strenuously denied to Mr Peffers that he had committed the acts of which he was ultimately convicted.

“Following Scott Faulkner’s release on bail, Mr Peffers did not give authority for Mr Faulkner to attend any events. Mr Peffers was unaware until yesterday, (6 June 2023), that Mr Faulkner had attended an event at Ayrshire Hospice in September 2021.

“Mr Peffers was unaware until today (June 7, 2023) that Mr Faulkner had attended events in Peterborough and London in July 2021.

“Mr Peffers did not authorise Scott Faulkner’s attendance at these events, all of which occurred when Mr Peffers was out of the country. Neither Mr Peffers or Skylark Event Medical Services Ltd have a continuing relationship with Scott Faulkner.

“Skylark Event Medical Services Ltd prides itself on providing excellent medical and rescue support services for its customers’ events and the priority now is to continue working with those customers to ensure all their future events are adequately supported.”

Faulkner was put on the sex offenders list indefinitely

Description

Stewart Burgess, previously convicted of abusing two teenage boys in 2008, was described by police as a 'prolific offender' before being jailed again on Friday.

A 'prolific' Scots paedophile who preyed on children he was supposed to protect for 'years' has been jailed for a second time after another of his victims bravely spoke out about his abuse.

Sick Stewart Burgess, now 72, targeted boys in the 1980s while working as a senior house parent at Redheugh Adolescent Unit in Kilbirnie, Ayrshire, which was run by the Salvation Army for vulnerable youngsters.

In 2008 he was found guilty of abusing two teenage boys in his care and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. New proceedings were raised after another former pupil came forward to report offending by Burgess at the unit.

During the trial at the High Court in Paisley last month, a jury heard the victim – now in his 50s - remains traumatised by abuse, which took place between 1984 and 1985.

Burgess, from Cumnock, was convicted of abusing this victim in similar ways he had to others. He was sentenced to three and half years in jail at the High Court in Glasgow on Friday April 21.

His name was added to the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Detective Inspector Gavin Chisholm of the Ayrshire Public Protection Unit said: “Stewart Burgess is a prolific offender whose abuse of children spanned many years. He abused his position of trust and we welcome today’s sentencing.

“I would like to recognise the bravery of the victim shown in reporting this and assisting us throughout the enquiry and court process which has been pivotal in securing this conviction.

“Investigating abuse of children and young people remains one of Police Scotland’s top priorities. Please be assured that no matter when a crime is committed, we will listen and we will investigate.”

Scotland’s Procurator Fiscal for High Court Sexual Offending, Fraser Gibson, said: “Stewart Burgess selfishly and callously abused young boys in his care. The victim in this case bravely came forward to report what happened to him as a child.

“His evidence of crimes which had not been dealt with previously allowed us to prosecute this offender again. I sincerely hope the victim finds some small comfort in holding Burgess accountable for his actions.

“COPFS prosecutors are committed to pursue justice for victims of child sexual abuse, no matter how long ago the offences occurred.

“I urge any victims of similar crime to have confidence that time is no barrier. Please come forward, report it and seek support.”

Redheugh is one of the institutions being investigated by the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry, chaired by Lady Smith. The unit closed in 1994.

Description

A fireman used social media to groom young girls across the UK and threatened to publish indecent images of them online.

Lewis MacLeod, 24, bombarded the teenagers with messages and live video calls, pressuring them over a three-year period to keep sending obscene pictures and footage to satisfy his perversions.

He was jailed after admitting the offences at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court and has been removed from his role in the fire service. 

 MacLeod, described as a high-risk sex offender, used the Snapchat platform to target his 15-year-old victims and show them pornography before begging them to carry out sex acts on themselves.

He threatened two of the girls that he would disclose the images and videos they sent him unless they supplied him with more.

A third victim was forced to strip and perform an indecent act after MacLeod vowed to expose her on social media unless she allowed him to access the private area of her Snapchat account.

MacLeod, of Kilbirnie, Ayrshire, who changed his online profile when the girls tried to block him, was exposed after his victims gave statements to the police and officers seized his phone and electronic devices.

 He admitted six charges under the Sexual Offences and Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm Acts, carried out between April 2018 and February 2021.

Gordon Ghee, defending, told Kilmarnock Sheriff Court MacLeod “was taken from mainstream education due to his parents’ religious views and was home-schooled – he experienced substantial isolation from social situations and his peers”.

Sheriff Alistair Watson said the victims could never be certain if images of them would reappear.

He said he would have sentenced MacLeod to three years but, due to his age and background, would restrict it to 14 months. He also placed him on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.

Detective Sergeant Andrew Dunlop of Police Scotland said: “MacLeod used social media to befriend and groom girls throughout the UK. He will rightly face the consequences of his actions and a lengthy period in prison.” 

Description

A sex offender has been spared jail after he was caught with videos of toddlers being raped and people having sex with dogs and horses.

Zacharia Al-Kindy was caught with the illegal films and pictures, which showed girls as young as two being abused, at the home he shares with his mum.

The 28-year-old's sickening haul was kept in the 'Downloads' folder of his laptop, which he kept in his bedroom.

His lawyer claimed he began seeking out the abuse material while dealing with the deaths of his dad and a sibling.

The details emerged yesterday when Al-Kindy, of Darvel, East Ayrshire, appeared in the dock at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court to be sentenced.

He had earlier pleaded guilty to charges of possessing indecent images of children and being in possession of "extreme pornographic" images.

Prosecutor Meghan Glancey told the court that officers from Police Scotland obtained a search warrant for Al-Kindy's home.

On January 19, 2021, they attended his home and were granted entry by his mum, while he was not in.

A search revealed 123 indecent images of children on his laptop, 84 of which were the most extreme there is.

She told Sheriff George Jamieson that the images had been downloaded between August 12, 2020, and January 16, 2021, and that his stash even included a 33-minute-long video.

He also had 6 extreme porn images showing adults engaged in sex acts with dogs and horses.

Defence solicitor advocate Simon Brown said Al-Kindy, who is known as Zach, had fully complied with social workers interviewing him ahead of sentencing.

The lawyer said: "He has insight into his offending.

"He had a very difficult upbringing, suffering the death of his father and a sibling within a very short period of time and had a significant impact upon him.

"He kept himself to himself and was isolated, and that seems to have been the beginning of the rabbit hole he went down which resulted in this behaviour."

Sheriff Jamieson slammed Al-Kindy, saying people who access indecent images of children are giving a reason for the abuse to continue.

He then placed him on the Sex Offenders' Register and a Community Payback Order for the next three years.

He was told to attend the Moving Forward, Making Changes Programme, which helps sex offenders change their ways, and banned him from having any unsupervised conduct with anyone under the age of 16.

He also told him he was only allowed to own one mobile phone and one laptop and has to surrender them to social workers and the police to check, when asked.

Description

A FORMER teacher has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after being found guilty of child abuse.

Peter Toner, 61, was found guilty at the High Court in Glasgow of sexually abusing five children between 1979 and 1983 when he was a house master at the former St Columba’s College in Largs, Ayrshire.

Officers from Ayrshire’s Divisional Rape Investigation Unit have been conducting enquiries after receiving a complaint in October 2016.

As a result of ongoing enquiries, officers identified other victims.

Detective constable Colin Jones said: “Peter Toner took advantage of his position of authority and committed these despicable crimes.

“It takes considerable courage for people to come forward and speak to the police about such crimes and I would like to pay tribute to the victims for their bravery.

“This sentence may give them some sense of justice, but it won’t undo the harm they have experienced which has been profound and long lasting.

“I would encourage anyone who has been a victim of any sexual predator to come forward as it is never too late to report sexual abuse to us, no matter when it happened and no matter what the circumstances, they can be assured that they will receive every support from Police Scotland.”

Description

An Ardrossan man is facing jail for grooming what he thought was a 12-year-old girl after being stung by an online group targeting paedophiles.

Garry Allmark, 46, was brought to justice with the help of a group known as the Scotland Anti Predator Alliance (SAPA).

Operatives from the group snared Allmark online while he was living at a flat in Glasgow Street with his wife and eight-year-old son.

They then arranged to meet him and confronted him over the vile messages he had sent to one of their decoys during a meeting at Harvie's.

As well as sending a picture of a male penis, Allmark sent what he thought was a youngster pictures of women performing sex acts on themselves.

He sent the 'child' so many messages SAPA operatives gave police 410 pages of print outs showing his texts.

The details emerged this week when Allmark, who now lives in Burns Street, Irvine, appeared in the dock at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court for a pre-trial hearing.

He struck a deal with prosecutors which saw him pleading guilty to one charge in exchange for another being dropped.

He admitted a charge under Section 23 and 24(1) of the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009 by attempting to have sexual communication with a young child, and sending sexual pictures and videos to what he thought was an underage girl.

The charge that was dropped stated he had tried to meet what he thought was an underage girl with the intention of having a sexual encounter with her.

Procurator Fiscal Depute Jo Cunningham explained: "Between March 30, 2018, and May 5, 2018, the accused had been in communication with a person whom he assumed was a child under the age of 13.

"The communication he had was, in fact, with the Scottish Anti Predator Alliance.

"Following their contact with the accused, the Alliance contacted police and they provided them with hard copies of messages which had been exchanged between the accused and the 'child'.

"Police, on receipt of the evidence, arrested the accused."

Allmark was taken to Saltcoats Police Office where he was interviewed, confirming to police officers that "he had been in conversation with a female whom he believed to be 12 years of age."

Miss Cunningham explained: "The majority were not all of a sexual nature however, when taken together, appear to be an attempt by the accused to groom the 12-year-old, and there were items of a sexual nature within them.

"In addition to sending personal images to the 'child', he also sent her a photo of a male penis and images of a nude female masturbating.

"When he engaged with the child it appears he also sent a number of images of himself to her."

Allmark, who was assisted in court by a sign language interpreter, nodded during his police interview to confirm he'd had sexual conversations with the 'child' and that he knew it was illegal, but insisted he was "not a paedophile."

Sheriff Elizabeth McFarlane placed Allmark on the Sex Offenders' Register, called for background reports to be prepared ahead of sentencing and adjourned the case until next month for that to be done.