Latest Offenders Fife

Description

A serial rapist who targeted three women in Fife while they were sleeping has been jailed for 10 years.

The High Court in Dundee heard Jody Petrie, 37, attacked his victims while they were under the influence of drink or drugs after they fell asleep.

Petrie denied the offences, which took place from 2017 over four years in Tayport and St Andrews.

Judge Lady Drummond said Petrie would continue to pose a threat to women and had not shown any remorse.

He will also be supervised for three years following his release from jail.

Lady Drummond said: "You raped these women when they were at their most vulnerable.

"They suffered not only the physical impact, but long-standing psychological harm."

Petrie was found guilty by a jury of three separate charges of rape involving three different women.

The court heard he attacked his first victim in Tayport in 2017.

The jury found him guilty of raping his second victim in St Andrews in January 2019, and another woman in the same town in 2020.

Two further sex attack charges were found to be not proven by the jury.

Petrie also placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Description

A government worker sexually assaulted a sleeping woman by tickling her feet and touching and kissing her breasts.

Martin Sharp pled guilty to the sexual assault when he appeared at Dunfermline Sheriff Court.

The 25-year-old government worker will be sentenced next month and has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register meantime.

Assaulted sleeping woman

Procurator fiscal depute Andrew Brown told the court the offence took place on April 2 this year at a property in Rosyth.

The fiscal said the woman, who can not be identified for legal reasons, had been on a bed with Sharp and fell asleep with the duvet and blanket covering her.

“While she was asleep the accused started tickling her feet and her back, which led to the accused stroking her breasts and kissing her.

“(The woman) woke up… to the accused touching her breast with one hand, covering one breast with the other and his mouth.”

The fiscal said the woman initially pretended to be asleep to process what was going on.

When she visibly woke, Sharp asked if she had had a good sleep and admitted tickling her back and feet.

She then questioned him and asked him to leave the room.

Sharp later told the woman he would lose his job if the matter was reported to police, claiming it was an accident and that he had no self-control.

‘What I have done is wrong’

When later cautioned by police, Sharp, of Carson Place, Rosyth, said: “What I have done is wrong.

“I did not think it was that bad at the time but now I know”.

Defence lawyer Aime Allan told the court first offender Sharp is currently in full time employment, working for “the government” but this may not continue.

The solicitor said: “There will be ramifications”.

She did not elaborate on the nature of his job.

Sheriff Charles Macnair adjourned sentencing on Sharp until August 23 for background reports and his bail was continued.

He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We cannot comment on live criminal proceedings or individual staffing matters.”

Description

A non-binary sex attacker who molested a sleeping child during a campaign of abuse has been allowed to walk free from court. Oliver James Bond, who changed his identity after being convicted of a sex attack on a transgender victim in a previous case, dodged prison for a second time.

The 32-year-old, who was called Lucas Cole throughout the latest trial, started sexually assaulting the boy while he was 15 or 16 years old. A jury at Perth Sheriff Court found that Bond carried out further attacks on the same victim over a period of six years.

Bond was found guilty of indecently assaulting the boy at an address in Milnathort between July 1, 2010 - when the victim was 15 - and December 31, 2010. Bond carried out a serious sex attack on the boy while he was asleep and incapable of giving consent.

The fiend was found guilty of sexually assaulting the same victim in Kinross between September 5, 2013 and September 4, 2014 in an attack which started with Bond repeatedly grabbing the teenager's private parts. Bond struggled with him, and pulled down his trousers and underwear, before performing a sex act on him.

The jury also found Bond guilty of sexually assaulting the victim in Milnathort between September 5, 2014 and September 4, 2016 by touching his private parts while he was asleep and incapable of consenting. The Crown gave special notice to lead evidence of Bond sexually assaulting a transgender victim in Perth on 14 May 2018 whilst they were intoxicated and could not consent.

Bond denied indecently and sexually assaulting the male complainer in the latest trial and claimed they were consensual acts between "friends with benefits". The jury took an hour to find them guilty. Jurors heard the victim describe how he had been sleeping and had woken up to discover Bond carrying out a sex act upon him.

The accused confirmed they were Oliver James Bond to the court clerk, but was referred to throughout the trial and sentencing as Lucas Cole and mainly by the pronoun "they/them". Sheriff David Hall placed Bond on the Sex Offenders Register for five years and under social work supervision for 18 months.

They were placed on a curfew for six months and ordered to carry out 250 hours unpaid work as a direct alternative to custody.

The sheriff said: "With some hesitation I am going to allow you to remain at liberty. You were convicted by the jury of all three charges. You just don't get the seriousness of this matter."

Solicitor David Holmes, defending, noted that the complainer had spent further time with the accused after the attacks and had given evidence in his defence in the transgender case. He said his client would be "particularly vulnerable" in prison.

But Sheriff Hall said: "That doesn't excuse his behaviour, which he doesn't appear to accept any responsibility for at all. The complainer came across as a pretty vulnerable individual."

In October 2019, Bond was convicted of sexually assaulting a transgender woman at a flat in Perth. She gave evidence in the latest trial to show the similarity of the attacks.

Fiscal depute Lora Apostalova said the incidents were "strikingly similar" as the victims had been asleep and incapable of giving or withholding consent in both cases. The transgender witness, who cannot be named for legal reasons, she how she was sexually assaulted at Bond's Perth home in May 2018.

She told how they downed a bottle of Midori and watched The Big Bang Theory before she fell asleep. Later, she said she woke to find Cole touching her penis under her clothing.

Ms Apostalova said: "She was not able to give full consent to what was happening to her body. My trousers were definitely not unbuttoned when I lost consciousness. Oliver was touching me. He had his hand under my underwear."

Bond was ordered to carry out 200 hours unpaid work at the High Court in Edinburgh on October 21, 2019. Judge Lord Tyre said it would have been an "extremely distressing experience" for the woman.

He also ordered Bond to engage in offence-related work under social work supervision.

Description

A retired British Transport Police officer sexually abused a child for five years, starting when she was aged just nine.

Married Christopher Aldridge, 76, appeared at Dunfermline Sheriff Court and pled guilty to two charges of using lewd, indecent and libidinous practices and behaviour towards the youngster.

The abuse began in the mid-2000s.

The town’s sheriff court heard that Aldridge – described as an “upstanding member of the community” – would play ‘tickle and chase’ games with his victim before pinning her down and touching her breasts and lower private parts.

Procurator fiscal depute Catherine Fraser said: “He abused her on multiple occasions in the same way until she was 14.”

Ms Fraser said the abuse happened “often” and that, after each incident, he apologised and promised not to touch her again.

Investigation

The court heard that Aldridge would tell the girl not to tell anyone about what happened because he would get in trouble.

Ms Fraser said on one occasion Aldridge used a coin to unlock a toilet door and pinned her to the floor as she struggled to get away.

The fiscal said that in 2012 Aldridge told a counsellor he had sexually abused the child. The counsellor contacted police.

An investigation was carried out but no further action was taken at this time as full details of the abuse were not disclosed.

The court heard that in 2021 the girl, now a woman in her 20s, provided a full statement to police after her memory was triggered.

The fiscal depute said Aldridge had initially lived in England, then moved to Scotland and lived at various addresses before moving to Dunfermline.

Ms Fraser said he was a British Transport Police officer before retiring around 2002 and went on to become a driving instructor.

‘Tickle and chase’

Defence lawyer Stephen Morrison said Aldridge’s offending appeared to have “started innocently as a game of tickle and chase” before he began acting on inappropriate thoughts.

The solicitor said: “He does express what appears to me to be genuine remorse.

“He is ashamed, embarrassed, and also expressing what appears to be some reasonable level of insight – not just into his own behaviour, but the effect it will undoubtedly have had, and presumably still has, in relation to his victim.”

Mr Morrison said first offender Aldridge, who lives with his wife at Golf View, Cardenden, had otherwise seemed to have been an “upstanding member of the community” and “attended church on a regular basis”.

The solicitor said his client has not been attending church because it would mean him being supervised, and he did not want to place the church in that position.

Mr Morrison said although it took Aldridge “some time” to accept culpability, it appears to have been “weighing heavily” on him.

He said Aldridge’s guilt was such that he confessed to a counsellor in the knowledge it would not be kept confidential.

Sheriff Charles Lugton deferred sentence on Aldridge until July 19 for the production of background reports and his bail was continued.

Aldridge was placed on the Sex Offenders Register meantime.

Description

A sick barman used ‘JimmySavile’ as the password on the account he used to download 2,000 indecent images of children.

Iain Syme’s illegal hoard referenced the disgraced former television star, who is widely understood to be one of the country’s most prolific sex offenders.

The password came to light after detectives carried out an early morning raid on Syme’s home in Fife after tracing uploaded child abuse material to his internet address.

It was discovered he had amassed a stash of sick material over the course of more than seven years.

Uploaded images to internet

Fiscal depute Lynn Mannion told Dundee Sheriff Court: “He is a full-time barman.

“Police Scotland received intelligence that four Category C child sexual abuse images had been uploaded to the internet.

“A search warrant was granted for an address in Anstruther.

“Officers attended and they were afforded entry by the accused’s stepmother. The accused was also present.

“A search was carried out and a number of items were recovered, including a mobile phone from the bedroom used by the accused.

“An initial examination was done and a number of child sexual abuse and exploitation images were recovered.

Sick ‘JimmySavile’ file name

Syme was arrested and freely provided the PINs to his devices.

Ms Mannion said: “Of note was the fact one of the recovered passwords he was using was ‘JimmySavile’.”

She told the court the majority of the sickening images showed female children aged between three and 14 being abused.

Syme, 27 admitted having indecent images of children in St Monans between November 25 2015 and January 27 last year.

Sheriff Alistair Carmichael deferred sentence for the preparation of social work background reports and the accused had his bail continued.

His details were added to the Sex Offenders Register.

Radio One DJ and TV personality Jimmy Savile was one of the United Kingdom’s most notorious paedophiles, thought to have abused hundreds of young children across the country.

Description

A pervert scout leader from Fife, who sexually abused young boys in his group, has been jailed for 45 months.

Police have welcomed the jailing of John Somerville for historic indecent assaults and behaviour they described as abhorrent.

Somerville, 57, plied the boys with alcohol, started games which ended with the boys having to take their clothes off as forfeits and sexually abused them. The three victims were aged between 13 and 14. He preyed on the youngsters after taking them on camping trips across Scotland in the 1990s. Two of his victims were in court to see Somerville sent to prison.

He had avoided jail after being convicted of similar offences in 2006 and had gone on to run a gardening business. Somerville, of Greenwell Park, Glenrothes, was sentenced at Dunfermline Sheriff Court having previously admitted a catalogue of offending against the boys.

On various occasions between1996 and 1998 in Glenrothes, within a vehicle travelling to various locations within Fife and Glasgow and at various camping locations in Scotland, he indecently assaulted a boy then aged 14 years.

Somerville also admitted that on various occasions between June 1996 and 1997 in Glenrothes and various camping locations in Scotland, he used lewd, indecent and libidinous practices towards another boy then aged 13. He also admitted that on an occasion between December 1998 and February 1999, he indecently assaulted a third boy then aged 14.

Defence solicitor Peter Robertson said, This was abhorrent and predatory behaviour and that is accepted by him. He is full of remorse and understanding. He is not asking for forgiveness as he says he doesnt deserve it. He accepts he was abusing his position as leader. Hes very regretful about the long-standing pain and suffering and what hes stolen from their childhood. He doesnt recall some things but doesnt deny they happened.

Mr Robertson said his client has a son: He has thought about how he would feel if someone had done that to his child. He feels completely disgusted about that, added the solicitor.

Sheriff William Gilchrist said it was not clear from the social work report whether Somerville was indeed remorseful. The sheriff said his actions were a serious breach of trust, involved a degree of planning and targeted vulnerable children. He jailed Somerville for 45 months backdated to 9th March when he was remanded in custody. Somerville will also be subject to a 12-month supervised release order and was put on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Description

A man who was convicted of violent offences and serious sexual assaults has been jailed for 10 years.

James Christopher Armour, 57, was convicted following a trial at the High Court in Stirling on Thursday, 23 March 2023.

He was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow today, Wednesday, 31 May, 2023.

The offences were committed in the Fife area between 1983 and 1989.

Description

A Fife man caught with more than 90,000 extreme porn images and videos had amassed the collection over the course of 15 years.

Gary Gray had a server running in his garage and dozens of hard drives containing the vile images were found.

The 59-year-old was also found to have downloaded child abuse images, found while searching for the extreme porn.

At Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court he was placed on the Sex Offenders Register ahead of sentencing in July.

Raid by six detectives

Fiscal depute Douglas Thomson told the court six detectives were sent to Gray’s home after police received intelligence images were being downloaded.

He said: “The accused was interviewed briefly and confirmed no one else had access to the devices.

“A search took place and several additional devices were uncovered in a garage attached to the property.

“Included in the recovered items was a running server, which was found by DCs Ferguson and Dorword in the double garage in the garden area.

 “There appeared to be a large number of hard drives within and lying near the device.”

Gray told police he “hadn’t used it in a while”.

Mr Thomson said: “He was asked why the system was plugged in and running if it hadn’t been used in a while and he responded by shrugging his shoulders.”

When asked by officers what type of system the server was, he replied: “It’s full of hard drives with porn on them.

“They are mine. Everything in that garage belongs to me.”

Child abuse material found

Police seized 62 devices for further examination, including 34 hard drives.

They found 75,692 images and 15,208 videos showing extreme porn.

Mr Thomson said some showed the extreme torture of women but the majority involved bestiality between adults and a number of species of animals.

Also recovered were 274 images of child abuse ranging from category A to C, with all but three category A images inaccessible.

There were 13 category A videos, 10 of which were accessible.

Mr Thomson added: “The Crown recognises that the accused’s principal interest was in respect of the recovered bestiality and sado-masochism images but in searching for this he received and retained the lesser number of images of child sexual abuse.”

Admissions

Gray, of Collinswell Drive, Burntisland, admitted possession of extreme pornography at his home address between October 2006 and July 2021.

He further admitted possessing child abuse images between October 2009 and July 2021.

A not guilty plea to a charge of taking or making indecent images of children was accepted by the Crown.

Description

A former security guard at Levens Diageo complex was caught by fellow workers after sending a sexually explicit message to a 14-year-old girl.

David Andersons colleagues had become concerned about the 56-year-olds behaviour on his phone to someone they suspected was a young female, Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court heard.

They checked his unattended phone, found vile messages to the youngster and screenshotted them to show police.

Caught by workmates

Procurator fiscal depute Lee-Anne Barclay told Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court: A conversation had taken place between witnesses and Mr Anderson and he had indicated that she was 18 and had encouraged (the girl) to confirm this on a video call.

Ms Barclay said Anderson left his phone unlocked on a table and one of his colleagues looked at it and took screenshots of a Facebook Messenger chat.

The fiscal depute said it contained sexual content.

Witnesses established the girl was only 14 years old and one of them contacted police.

The court heard Anderson was arrested on October 2, 2021, then interviewed and charged, before being released on a police bail undertaking to appear at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court at a later date.

Ms Barclay said one of Andersons undertaking conditions was not to contact the girl.

But the fiscal said a witness at Beveridge Park saw him about a week later with the girl in a car and police were informed.

Anderson of Denbert Place in Kennoway, was arrested again on November 4 2021 at the Diageo site.

Guilty

He pled guilty to sending a sexually explicit message to the girl and engaging in a sexually explicit conversation with her at Diageo Scotland Ltd, Banbeath Road, Leven and elsewhere, on September 4 2021.

The charge states this was done intentionally and for the purposes of obtaining sexual gratification or of humiliating, distressing or alarming her.

He also admitted breaching a condition not to contact her by phoning her and arranging to meet her at Kirkcaldys Beveridge Park, between October 31 and November 1 2021.

Defence lawyer Martin McGuire said Anderson and the girl had initially spoken on social media about health issues which led to inappropriate and sexually explicit conversation.

Mr McGuire said his client, who is no longer employed at the Diageo site and has been working at a local car wash, has a relatively limited record and no analogous convictions.

You may have a predilection

Sheriff Timothy Niven-Smith told Anderson the matter was especially serious as his victim was vulnerable.

The sheriff said: There may be an element of grooming by you.

Sheriff Niven-Smith also highlighted to Anderson that, having been released, he flagrantly disregarded a condition not to contact the girl.

He said: Having regard to the nature of the charges I consider you are a potential danger to the public, in particular young children.

You may have a predilection.

Sentence was deferred until May 9 for the production of background reports and Anderson was remanded in custody.

He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register meantime.

Description

A sex pest who assaulted four teenagers as a female and struggled with police as a male, has been jailed.

Luke Spencer was a 20-year-old woman known as Krista when the offender seized and kissed a teenage girl at Glenrothes bus station, slapped anothers buttocks in Dunfermline and groped two more youngsters after drinking with them.

Spencer was locked up for 14 months after admitting the sexual assaults committed in the first quarter of 2020.

A concurrent sentence was imposed for a further violent crimes at a property in Glenrothes in May 2020.

In the dock, Spencer who appeared on public court rolls under both names wept throughout a solicitors plea in mitigation.

Court papers say the now 23-year-old is also known as Alex.

Bus station assault

Fiscal depute Alistair McDermid told Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court about Spencers first attack, committed as Krista, on a young girl.

He explained the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was 15 at the time.

Mr McDermid explained on an occasion between January 31 and March 1 in 2020, the girl was at the bus station with a friend at around 9pm.

Spencer became overly-friendly and asked the girl for a quiet word.

After pinning her against a wall, Spencers hands were forcefully placed inside the girls lower clothing before kissing her on the neck.

The girls friend heard her scream and rushed to help.

Post public-drinking party

Spencers next crime again committed as Krista was against a 13-year-old girl.

While drinking alcohol with her under a bridge near Tesco in Dunfermline in March 2020, Spencer slapped her on the buttocks.

Other youngsters were present and some said they did not know where to stay and Spencer offered to take them home.

At the property in Glenrothes, they continued to drink and make TikTok content.

Spencer grabbed one girl, aged 14, by her private parts over her clothing.

The predator then turned unwanted attention to a 13-year-old girl, placed her on a mattress and touched her breasts over her clothing before asking to perform a sex act on her.

Spencer was told to stop but returned to the other molestation victim.

She lay down on the mattress and Spencer touched her breasts over and under her clothing.

Spencer also asked her if they could use a sex toy and produced a ring before asking to marry her.

Bid to avoid custody

Solicitor Chris Sneddon referred to his client with the male pronoun and said he has ADHD and a personality disorder and found it difficult to discuss matters in detail.

Mr Sneddon added: He pled guilty because he accepts responsibility.

Clearly he finds it difficult to come to terms with what happened.

Hes now 23. Mr Spencer, on reflection, clearly shouldnt be hanging about with people four to six years younger than him.

They are very serious matters, hes aware of that.

There are alternatives to custody available.

He is a young person, he was younger at the time of the commission of the offences.

He has clearly had significant trauma in his childhood.

Mr Sneddon asked for the disposal to be a restriction of liberty order and supervision.

Prison

However, Sheriff Robert More chose to jail the sex attacker for 14 months.

He said: What Im dealing with is four charges of sexual assault against children.

Its a case in which the custody threshold is met.

I note that in particular, you have been the victim of extreme misfortune.

You are very much a victim and the court can extend to very appropriate sympathy.

The charges you pled guilty to are very serious, however.

I regret to inform you that on the information before me, I cant identify an appropriate alternative.

Spencer will be on the Sex Offenders Register for a decade.

Further offence

A five-month concurrent sentence was imposed for acting abusively at Aline Court in Glenrothes on May 7 2020.

Now Luke Spencer, the offender shouted, swore and banged on the door, before trying to punch a constable and struggling violently with police, resisting the application of handcuffs.

The Scottish Prison Service would not comment on where Spencer will serve the prison sentence imposed.

Description

A convicted rapist has admitted an evil and wicked assault on a man who was winding him up about his past convictions.

Darren Butler, 42, previously admitted punching Ernest Boundy on the head and kicking him on the body outside The Beath Inn, Cowdenbeath, in December last year.

Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard that his victim was talking loudly about Butlers criminal history when they were both in another pub beforehand.

Butler was jailed for ten years in 2013 after being convicted by jury of a sickening series of sex attacks on women.

He raped three of his victims and carried out indecent assaults on a fourth.

He denied the offences, claiming he acted in self-defence, but was found guilty of 15 charges at the High Court in Edinburgh.

Lord Glennie said the women had been changed from bubbly personalities to being wracked by fear, anxiety and depression.

He is going to get it

Butler, of Main Street, Lumphinnans, Cowdenbeath, appeared in the dock at Dunfermline and admitted carrying out the assault on Mr Boundy on December 17, last year.

Procurator fiscal depute Catherine Stevenson told the court that Butler and Mr Boundy both ended up in pub that evening after a verbal altercation at another establishment.

Butler was overheard by a witness outside The Beath Inn saying: He is going to get it when he comes out.

Ms Stevenson said the pair were seen pushing each other outside and the complainer fell to the ground and was punched.

She said Butler also kicked the man as he lay on the ground.

Police later arrived and Butler remained at the scene and told officers he was defending himself.

On being charged, Butler told police the man had threatened his life and so he used appropriate force.

No stranger to custody

Defence lawyer Aime Allan said the original cause of disagreement was the complainer talking rather loudly in the pub about Mr Butlers previous convictions.

The solicitor said Butler went to another pub and Mr Boundy followed.

She said her client was on the phone to a friend when the man approached him outside.

Ms Allan said Butler is no stranger to custody but has no other outstanding matters.

She said settling back into life at liberty for a man who served a sentence as long as he has can be no easy feat.

Sheriff Peter Anderson described Butlers criminal past as serious.

The sheriff warned him he must walk away from anything turning into a strong disagreement.

He said he was persuaded not to send Butler back to jail.

Sheriff Anderson ordered him to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work, and placed him on a restriction of liberty curfew for three months. He will be supervised for a year.

The sheriff stressed this punishment was a direct alternative to prison.

He added: I am imposing this punishment because, in particular, you were heard to say He was going to get it, because its an indicator you were planning something evil and wicked, even though he had been winding you up.

You need to learn to walk away from these things, you can not afford this.

Description

A Rosyth man sexually assaulted an 11-year-old girl after showering her with gifts.

Craig Hamilton sent the youngster naked images of himself and urged her to reciprocate.

The 19-year-old even asked the girl “will you marry me?” in a Snapchat message that was opened by her mother.

Hamilton appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court and pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting the girl by penetration at addresses in Fife on various occasions between April 2021 and January last year.

He was placed on the sex offenders register and will be sentenced in May.

Snapchat messages

The court heard how Hamilton met the child after offering to do gardening work for her mother.

He texted the woman offering to take her daughter our. On another occasion, he bought her a bottle of perfume after meeting her on a trip to Dunfermline.

He also gave her a nail kit.

The mum later discovered that Hamilton had also been messaging the girl directly.

Fiscal depute Alistair McDermid said: “The complainer’s mother opened Snapchat and read the unopened message, which was from a number named ‘best friend’.

“It showed a picture of a man’s legs and said ‘Will you marry me?’ with a ring emoji.

“Later that morning she challenged her daughter about the messages but she denied anything was going on.”

Confrontation

Shortly afterwards, the girl told her mother that Hamilton had touched her sexually.

The woman then confronted the then 17-year-old.

Mr McDermid said: “She asked him explicitly why he was sending messages to her 11-year-old.

“He apologised and asked if she was going to tell his mother.”

The woman contacted police and the girl told them in an interview that Hamilton had touched her several times, despite telling him to stop.

She also said that he had placed her hand on his penis.

Hamilton, of Burnside Street, sent her naked photos and asked her to do the same, which she did.

When arrested, he told officers: “It was wrong and it shouldn’t have happened.”

Sentence was deferred for reports and Hamilton was placed on the sex offenders register in the interim.

Description

A 'narcissistic predator' found guilty of multiple rapes, serious physical and sexual assault over a twenty-year campaign of terror has been caged for 12 years.

James Cunningham, 56, was found guilty of multiple rapes of three different women as well as serious physical and sexual assaults of others on February 3. He carried out the offences on women and children in Fife between 1985 and 2008.

His crimes were reported to police in 2019 and an investigation was launched. At the High Court in Livingston today (March 2), he was jailed for 12 years with an extension period of four years and placed on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely.

During a trial last month, the jury found Cunningham guilty unanimously on all but one charge, and guilty by a majority of the remaining charge.

The offender groomed young vulnerable females by placing himself in a position of power over them before committing numerous sexual and physical offences "of the most serious kind".

Judge Susan Craig said: "You had conducted years of abusive, manipulative and controlling behaviour of your victims whose lives continue to be blighted by your appalling treatment of them.

"When they tried to escape from you, you used that power to force them back and continued to abuse them. When, in time, they were able to escape from your influence you would immediately replace them with another young victim who you would again subject to years of sexual and physical abuse.

"Your controlling and abusive behaviour wasn’t confined to your sexual relationships but extended to those over whom you had power. You made their lives a misery by controlling what they could and couldn’t do and imposing random rules of behaviour.

"If they did not behave according to your rules you would use physical and humiliating punishments. Their childhoods were blighted by your appalling treatment. That they have been able to make successful lives as adults is a testament to their resilience in spite of, not because of, what you did."

Judge Craig described a criminal social work report into Cunningham as "grim reading". It stated that his sexual and violent abuse was committed against intimate partners as well as children.

Cunningham continued to plead his innocent throughout his trial and significantly blamed his victims. Judge Craig said the 56-year-old posed a high risk of committing further sexual and violent offences against females of all ages and due to the gravity of his crimes a custodial sentences was the only appropriate outcome.

Detective Constable Ross French from Fife Division said: “Cunningham is a narcissistic predator who has refused to admit his guilt and has shown no remorse for his despicable crimes.

“I want to commend the victims for the strength they have shown throughout this investigation and trial. My thoughts remain with them and I hope that this sentencing brings them some comfort and helps them move forward.

“We have detectives dedicated to investigating such offences, and no matter how much time has passed, please report it. You can be assured that you will be fully supported by officers and our partner agencies."

Description

A creep from St Andrews who sent sex messages to a girl he thought was 13 has been jailed.

Paul Wilson, 51, believed he was engaging in a bit of “harmless fun”, telling “Summer” he had been having “sexy dreams” about her and said he could not believe her age.

The beastly butcher had actually been communicating with a so-called paedophile hunter from England.

A Scottish vigilante group later confronted Wilson in his car in Dundee and he admitted he had been chatting with the decoy at the time.

He made no attempt to hide his actions but claimed “I was just joking”.

Dundee Sheriff Court heard that during a week’s worth of conversation, he had instructed the “girl” to perform sex acts, requested semi-naked photographs and even joked about men “pretending to be girls” online.

He admitted his crime at the end of last year and was sentenced by Sheriff Paul Brown to 13 months in prison.

At his first hearing, Wilson ran from the court to try to hide from reporters and sat with his head in his hands while details of his sick crime were read out.

Sick chats

Wilson, who now lives in Foulford Street, Cowdenbeath, had engaged in the chats at the home he shared with his family in St Andrews.

Fiscal depute Lynne Mannion told the court the decoy account by the English group COBRA had been created in 2020 on Facecast and Wilson began communicating with it on May 4 2021, using the username Pau1.

Wilson initially told “Summer” he was from Perth and was told very early in the conversation she was “almost 14”.

In the first day of conversation, Wilson was told the fictional girl enjoyed dancing and he asked for a video and a picture of her in school uniform.

When asked why, he replied: “Just asking.”

He later said “you must have great legs”, after discussing her dancing.

The conversation moved onto Whatsapp and Wilson asked: “So you in your PJs then?” and “Can I get a picture please sexy?”

When he was told the “girl” was with her family, he said to “sneak to the bathroom.”

Confrontation

On May 8, Wilson told the decoy he “had a good sexy dream about you last night” and asked her to perform sex acts on herself.

His details were passed onto Maximum Exposure, another vigilante group, which confronted him in his car in Dundee three days later.

In an interview with police, Wilson said: “I think at the time it was just a bit of harmless fun.

“I made a horrible mistake.”

Wilson admitted engaging in sexual conversation with what he believed was a child for obtaining sexual gratification or for humiliating, alarming or distressing the recipient of his messages.

The prison term was reduced from 18 months because of his early plea.

He is also subject to sex offender notification requirements.

Description

A Fife paedophile groomed a nine-year-old girl from North Yorkshire after meeting her on TikTok.

Pervert Dale Henderson – already on the Sex Offenders Register following four previous, similar offences – was caught when the girl’s mother inspected her phone.

The 32-year-old – who once touched himself in front of youngsters while returning from a sex offender treatment programme – was made subject to a strict Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) on May 17 last year.

It banned him from having contact with anyone under the age of 16.

However, he had been communicating indecently with the child for a month before the order was made by grooming her on Minecraft and Snapchat, as well as speaking with her on video calls.

He was caught eight days after the order was imposed.

Appearing by video link at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court on this week, the Perth Prison inmate admitted breaching the SOPO and sending sexual communications to the girl.

Began communicating on Tiktok

Fiscal depute Alistair McDermid explained the youngster, who cannot be named for legal reasons, lived in North Yorkshire and had an iPhone with no SIM card but access to the internet through her family’s wifi.

He said the girl’s mother carried out a check of her phone on May 25 and saw she had been messaging an account called Scottishboiiii on Snapchat for more than a month, with messages dating back to April 16.

The girl’s mother could see she had sent a photograph – without showing her face – because she identified her daughter’s pyjamas.

Messages showed Henderson and the girl had been discussing puberty.

Henderson had asked the girl for photographs of herself in the shower and had identified himself to her by name and sent a photo showing his face.

The girl told her mother she had met the predator on TikTok and he had told her he was 14.

She said the pair had played Minecraft together and confirmed he had asked for naked pictures.

After confirming she had been on video calls with Henderson, she was able to describe him and the bedroom of his scatter flat in Church Street, Kirkcaldy.

The girl’s mother contacted local police who alerted authorities in Scotland.

Struggle to control ‘urges’

Henderson’s solicitor David Bell said his client accepted a prison term was inevitable and said he “accepted he’s responsible from an early stage and wanted to resolve it”.

He said: “In terms of mitigation, there’s not a great deal.

“He advises me that he recognises he has a problem.

“This is the fifth offence he’s had with a similar theme to it.”

He said Henderson has sought medical help.

“He tells me that when he was first released in July 2021, there were occasions when he had thoughts of offending and sexual thoughts similar to how he’s offended before.

“He said that it eased for a period of time.”

Mr Bell added: “He can’t provide any specific explanation but the court can draw its own inferences.

“He seemed to manage to control any urges for a period.

“There was never any question that the child was going to have to give evidence.”

Sheriff Alison McKay added Henderson – who has been behind bars on remand since May – to the Sex Offenders Register again and deferred sentencing to February 21.

She ordered a report to look at the possibility of post-release supervision.

Previous deviancy

Henderson’s previous offences include flashing primary school children taking part in “the daily mile” exercise class and performing a sex act on a bus.

He was jailed for 10 months in April 2017 after exposing himself to two 11-year-old girls while working as a store assistant in Windygates.

He has also been convicted after being found in possession of child abuse images.

In 2018, Henderson was jailed for six months after putting his hands down his trousers on a bus in front of two 15-year-old girls while returning home from the Moving Forward: Making Changes treatment programme for sex offenders.

Henderson was jailed again after he exposed himself in front of primary school pupils exercising in Markinch.