Latest Offenders Fife

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A 66-year-old man has been jailed for five years for historic sexual offences against children in Stirling.

Peter McCormick was sentenced today (Monday, 5 August, 2024) at Glasgow High Court for the sexual assault of four boys, who were each under the age of 13, in Stirling between 1978 and 1996.

He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely.

McCormick was previously found guilty of four charges of Lewd and Libidinous practices at the High Court in Glasgow on Tuesday, 28 May, 2024.

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A former professional footballer who admitted the serious sexual assault of a child and possession of thousands of indecent images of children has been jailed for four years.

Ian Heddle, 61, originally from Dunfermline, was charged after being caught with more than 270,000 indecent photos and videos.

A police investigation led to him being further charged with the sexual assault of a child, believed to be aged about eight, in Thailand.

Heddle was a midfielder for a number of Scottish clubs in the 1980s and 90s, including St Johnstone and Dunfermline Athletic.

The High Court in Glasgow previously heard he was arrested at Edinburgh Airport last year as he prepared to fly to his home in Thailand.

He had been linked to the viewing and uploading of child abuse material from the web at a property he used in Scotland when was not in the Far East.

Judge John McCormick noted that Heddle, who was staying in Dunfermline at the time of his arrest, was a first offender but said he was satisfied an extended sentence had to be imposed.

As well as the jail term, Heddle will be supervised for a further two years on his release and will be on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Heddle's KC, Brian McConnachie, had told the judge that his client had a "willingness to seek treatment".

The advocate added an organisation Heddle had been dealing with described him as "wrapped in guilt and shame" at what he had done.

Mr McConnachie said: "He acknowledges the significant adverse impact on the child involved."

After Heddle was sentenced, Det Insp Adrian Ure of Police Scotland's National Child Abuse Investigations Unit said: “Heddle’s behaviour was deplorable with no thought to the young child he sexually assaulted or the victims depicted in the images and videos he was viewing.

“His sentencing sends a clear message that anyone found guilty of these offences will be brought to justice.”

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A repeat child groomer could be sent to prison after he was caught sending sexual messages to a decoy.

Former cabaret singer Darren Whyte, 34, told the ‘child’ – actually an adult – he would pay £15 for indecent images.

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A Fife creep who sexually abused and secretly filmed a young girl has been spared jail.

Matthew Finlayson, 33, was found guilty after trial of sexually assaulting the child on various occasions at an address in Kirkcaldy during a period spanning more than two years.

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A 60-year-old Fife man is behind bars for sexually assaulting two women and taking photos and video during one attack on an unconscious victim.

George McGillvary used a sex toy on one of the women while she was unconscious on the floor at an address in Inverkeithing.

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A sleazy bus driver sat a 15-year-old girl on his lap and carried out sex acts with her while he was driving a late night passenger bus.

Paedophile driver Christopher McIntosh, 38, hit speeds of nearly 50 miles per hour as he crossed Fife with the vulnerable teenager sitting on him.

A court was shown footage from the internal bus camera which showed McIntosh and the girl cramped in together in the driver's cab during a two hour journey.

Dundee Sheriff Court was shown 16 minutes of clips from the journey which revealed that they were also using a mobile phone while McIntosh was at the wheel.

The court heard that McIntosh was driving late night buses for Moffat and Williamson between St Andrews and Glenrothes when he would meet the girl.

During the course of several journeys - when there were no other passengers on board - they would engage in sexual activity while McIntosh was driving.

McIntosh, from Dundee, admitted engaging in sexual activity during the course of a number of journeys between 20 March and 10 April last year. He admitted kissing and embracing the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, during repeated sexual trysts.

He was also found guilty after a trial of driving the number 64 double decker bus carelessly on various roads around Fife on 10 April 2023. He was found to have driven with a child in the driver's seat alongside him, with his arm around the child, and while repeatedly looking at a mobile phone.

Fiscal depute Michael Robertson told the court: "The CCTV is from an older bus and is not the best of quality, but there is a 16-minute video clip.

"The Crown have libelled that the accused drove dangerously as a child was sitting in the driver's seat alongside the accused, who had an arm round the child, and repeatedly looked at a mobile phone whilst driving.

"You can see the accused driving with a female passenger in the cab while he was in his official capacity working as a bus driver. You can see the illumination of the mobile phone.

"The Crown argue that there are risks to driving a large vehicle while using a mobile phone, whether there are passengers or not.

"Looking at a mobile phone is a distraction and a risk and having a passenger in the cab whilst driving the bus is a risk. The Crown submit it is dangerous."

Solicitor Larry Flynn, defending, said: "There is no argument that he was the driver. The driving was captured on CCTV."

McIntosh was charged with dangerous driving, but found guilty of the lesser charge of careless driving. Sheriff John Rafferty said the quality of the driving was unclear from the CCTV.

He deferred sentence on McIntosh for the preparation of social work reports and added his details to the Sex Offenders Register. He was granted bail.

It is understood McIntosh was well aware of the girl's age because she had initially shown her child's identity card to obtain free travel on the bus.

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A 64-year-old who committed a sexual assault at a Glenrothes soft play centre has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register.

John McDowell, of Tofthill, Glenrothes, carried out the attack at Jumpin Jacks in the towns Fullerton Road on June 30 last year.

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A former Fife Tory councillor found guilty of two sex attacks against children in Glenrothes has been put on the Sex Offenders Register for five years.

Michael Green’s first victim told a trial he massaged her legs, put his hand under her shorts and touched her as she watched X Factor on TV, when she was aged ten.

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A serial sex offender from Cupar caught with an unauthorised mobile phone days after being convicted for possessing child abuse images for the second time has been jailed.

David Adamson was told he was lucky to have dodged a prison sentence in 2021 after admitting possessing indecent images.

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A Fife creep faces another jail term after being caught in the company of a fellow convicted sex offender in St Andrews.

James Haggerty admitted breaching the terms of his Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) by being with Dundee paedophile Adam Fraser at St Andrews bus station.

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A repeat Fife sex offender sent “hideous” messages and sick images to people he thought were 14-year-old girls.

The 51-year-old appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court by video link to prison to plead guilty to two charges of attempting to communicate indecently with a child and one of attempting to cause them to look at a sexual image.

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A nappy-obsessed Fife predator sent sick videos and pictures of himself to someone he thought was a 13-year-old girl.

He was placed on the Sex Offenders Register ahead of sentencing next month.

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A convicted sex offender has been jailed for nine years for a catalogue of abuse he committed more than three decades ago.

Charles Donnelly repeatedly raped a younger woman and subjected a boy and girl to sex crimes in Fife throughout a 16-year period.

Judge Lady Carmichael told the 70-year-old at the High Court in Edinburgh that he had caused "lasting harm" to his victims.

Donnelly was previously jailed for seven years in 2015 for sex offences and after his release from that jail term was recalled to prison for breaching his licence by being in the company of a child.

He was due to stand trial at the High Court earlier this year facing a series of further charges when he pled guilty to four offences, in what police called a "complex and disturbing case."

The first involved the repeated rape of a younger woman between January 1977 and September 1981 at addresses in a Fife village.

The victim said Donnelly was "helping himself to sex" despite her telling him "no".

She made it clear to him that she did not want sex but Donnelly ignored her and repeatedly assaulted and raped her, the court heard.

His second victim was a young boy who Donnelly spanked before committing a serious indecent assault at a house in Dunfermline on an occasion between September 1976 and September 1979.

His third victim was a girl who was subjected to prolonged abuse from the age of five by Donnelly at addresses in a nearby village beginning in 1983.

The sex offender told his young victim not to tell anyone as she would get into trouble if she did.

Donnelly molested the child and carried out sex acts on himself in her presence. He admitted two offences of indecent behaviour towards the girl, committed between 1983 and 1992.

'Immense courage'

Det Con Karen Nairn, of the non recent child abuse investigations team, said the victims had shown "immense courage" in reporting the crimes.

She added: "It is right that Donnelly now has to face the consequences of his disgraceful actions.

"My thoughts remain with the victims and their families. This conviction is a direct result of them coming forward."

Defence counsel Michael Anderson KC said Donnelly, who was held in prison awaiting his trial, had been through "significant difficulties of his own throughout his life".

He said Donnelly's previous experience of custody following his sentencing in 2015 had proved difficult for him.

He added that Donnelly had not offended since 1994.

Lady Carmichael ordered that he should be monitored in the community for a further five-year period following his jail term.

During that time, he will be under licence and can be returned to prison if he breaches its conditions.

Donnelly was told by a video link to prison that he will be on the sex offenders' register indefinitely following his sentencing today.

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A child molester who subjected youngsters to repeated sexual abuse and violence during a campaign of cruelty was today (Friday) jailed for nine years.

Thomas Dow (41) carried out a spree of assaults and rape against three victims in crimes spanning 14 years.

Dow preyed on two girls and a boy at addresses in Inverkeithing and Rosyth, and on car trips when he was supposed to be caring for the children.

A judge told him at the High Court in Edinburgh that he had effectively robbed victims of their childhood.

Judge John Morris KC said: "Only a very substantial prison sentence is appropriate for the crimes of which you were convicted."

He ordered that Dow, formerly of Park Road, Lhanbryde, in Moray, should also be monitored for a further two-year period when he can be returned to prison if he breaches the terms of his licence.

Dow had denied a series of charges during an earlier trial but was found guilty of 13 offences committed between June 2003 and December 2017, including crimes of rape, sexual assault, assault and indecent conduct. The court heard that Dow continued to deny any wrongdoing.

Dow began targeting one girl when she was aged seven and subjected her to repeated assaults during which she was hit, punched and kicked on the head and body.

She was also pushed about, struck with a brush and grabbed by the head and hair. The child abuser repeatedly sexual molested her and raped her.

He preyed on a second girl from the age of three and subjected the child to repeated violence. During it she was kicked, punched and pushed, shouted at and threatened.

Dow also put a hand over her mouth and nose, restricting her breathing and hit her with a remote control and other objects.

He also assaulted a boy from the age of three who was punched, kicked, pushed and struck and threatened with violence. The child was also subjected to repeated indecent assaults by Dow.

One victim told the court that she did not like it when Dow was looking after her "because he was abusive".

The woman said: "He would hit me, be verbally abusive to me and be sexually abusive.

"Sometimes he would be quite a happy drunk. Sometimes he would be quite an angry drunk. I was scared he would have another drink and become angry."

The former deliveryman claimed that the victims were lying in their evidence and that he was not a bully.

Defence counsel Michael Anderson KC said: "If there is an alcohol problem in the background he is motivated to deal with it."

Dow was told he would be placed on the sex offenders' register indefinitely following the sentencing.

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A Fife masseuse who sexually assaulted a client has lost his job, wife and home.

Mark Robertson was giving a massage to a woman in her 20s at his home on February 9 this year.