Search results for Lanarkshire

Description

The sentencing of a “despicable” Highland taxi driver who raped a 20-year-old woman near Dingwall has prompted a pledge from police.

David Brown, 49, of Croy, picked up the woman after a night out in Inverness. She wanted to return to her Highland village, but he raped her after parking his taxi in a field between Strathpeffer and Dingwall.

Brown claimed the encounter was consensual. The woman told the court she was left traumatised.

On Friday a jury found him guilty of rape. He was remanded in custody and will be sentenced in May.

Detective Inspector Michael Cosh said:

“David Brown will now face the consequences of his despicable actions.

“I hope his conviction helps the woman involved to continue to move forward with her life.

“Police Scotland takes reports of sexual crime very seriously and I would encourage anyone who has experienced abuse to contact us.

“You will be listened to and supported. We take all reports seriously.”

Description

A Just Eat delivery driver was caught performing a sex act while customers awaited their McDonald's order in Bellshill, Lanarkshire. Muhammad Sajawal, 31, of Motherwell, was spotted by three women in October 2024, leading them to report the incident to police.

The women saw Sajawal holding a mobile phone and masturbating. A 16-year-old witness testified: "I could see the driver and my bag of food right next to him and could see him on FaceTime to someone and could see his hand on his privates. It made me feel quite sick to my stomach."

Sajawal, who moved from Pakistan to Scotland to study and had worked for Just Eat for six months, claimed he was on a video call with family and fiddling with a vape. He said: "I was unaware that the girls were watching me. During the time I was there to deliver the food I was on a call with my father. The vape was in my hand and it is a habit that I play with my vape so I keep moving it in my hand. They must have misunderstood this movement."

Depute fiscal Daniel Toner noted: "All three Crown witnesses gave their evidence in a straightforward, credible and reliable manner and did not seek to embellish the incident although they were clearly distressed by it."

Defense lawyer Laura Kiernan said: "His position is that he was playing with his vape and this has been a misunderstanding."

At Hamilton Sheriff Court, Sheriff Shirley McKenna convicted Sajawal of public indecency, telling him: "The evidence from one of the girls was clear that your hand was between your legs and you were touching yourself. She explained that it made her feel sick to her stomach."

Sentencing was deferred until later this month, with bail continued and Sajawal placed on the sex offenders' register.

A Just Eat spokesperson said: "This driver has been removed from our network."

Description

An undertaker who sexually assaulted an 18-year-old colleague while she weighed a corpse in a mortuary has been jailed for two years.

James Jarvie, 63, laughed after groping the teenager's bottom at a branch of Fosters Funeral Directors in Greater Glasgow, a trial heard.

He also tormented a 25-year-old female coworker, forcing her to perform sex acts on him.

Jurors at Glasgow Sheriff Court learned Jarvie sneaked up on the teen in November 2023.

Fiscal Danielle McGuinness said: “The woman was standing at the mortuary register.

“Jarvie approached her from behind and made a beating motion on her bum with both hands.

“She was shocked and asked what he was doing.

“He giggled and turned back around.

“She’d have been 18.”

The young woman testified that former bank manager Jarvie watched her, touched her knees, stroked her face in a private ambulance, and made sexual comments.

Jarvie, from Rutherglen near Glasgow, targeted his second victim in April 2023 while on-call.

He tickled her leg, brushed against her, touched her waist, and slapped her bottom.

The victim recalled: “I think James knew I did not like it.

“But because I didn’t say anything, he knew he could get away with it.”

Jarvie later grabbed her wrist and forced her to touch him intimately, with Ms McGuinness adding: “She tried to pull back but he had too strong of a grip.”

He commented on her body, expressed desire to kiss her, and in another incident, cornered her, exposed and molested her, causing her to “just freeze,” before forcing a sex act.

In a further assault, he groped her and performed a solo act.

Ms McGuinness said the victim was “petrified” to speak out, fearing disbelief as a new employee: “He was older.

“He had been a respected bank manager.

“She did not want people to say she was making it up.

“She did not think people would believe her.”

Jarvie's behavior ended when he tried to kiss her and she told him to stop.

He was convicted of two sexual assault charges and two counts of directing sexual verbal communication between April and November 2023.

Sheriff Tony Kelly imposed indefinite non-harassment orders barring contact with the victims and placed Jarvie on the sex offenders register for ten years.

Description

A nurse who raped a vulnerable colleague after threatening her with dismissal unless she performed a sex act has been jailed for nearly eight years.

Naijil Paul, 47, also sexually assaulted two other young women while working as a care home manager in North Lanarkshire. He was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow to seven years and nine months' imprisonment, having been extradited from India for the trial.

Paul admitted the crimes at an October hearing, but a pre-sentencing report revealed "quite a degree of victim blaming"—including his claim that he thought he was doing one victim a favour.

The court heard that in April 2018, the 26-year-old rape victim had returned from sick leave and confided in a senior colleague about her debts. A week later, Paul entered her office alone, closed the door, and warned she risked losing her job due to absences. Citing her financial woes and potential eviction with her children, he ordered: "Do what I want," demanding a sex act to secure her position—or else her children would be homeless.

After raping her, he warned: "Don't tell anyone as no one will believe you and your job won't be safe." She burst into tears, fled, took further sick leave, and only disclosed the attack during a police probe into Paul's offences.

Attacks on other colleagues

Paul tried to kiss a 19-year-old care assistant, placing his hands on her hips and saying: "I know you want this." Two weeks later, he moved her hand to his intimate area; on another occasion, he grabbed her waistband, demanding to see her underwear colour.

He also quizzed a 21-year-old care assistant about her boyfriend, placing a hand on her shoulder and waist before saying: "I know you want it. I can tell by your body language." When she shoved him away after a kiss attempt, he molested her that day. She feared complaining would cost her job.

Fled to India

Paul skipped his 2019 trial, fleeing to Kochi, India, citing his father's illness. Arrested in February 2025 and extradited from Delhi, he admitted rape and two sexual assaults; his sentence was reduced from eight years for the guilty plea.

However, Lord Renucci expressed concern over Paul's victim-blaming report comments, stating they "very much underestimate his level of risk" despite a medium reoffending assessment. The judge told Paul: "You had been in a position of power before carrying out offences which were planned and deliberate. In addition to the serious and predatory nature of your offending... the version of events given by you bears little resemblance to what you have admitted to"—even describing the rape as a "consensual sexual encounter."

Paul will be supervised for two years post-release, placed on the sex offenders register for life, and barred from contacting victims.

Description

Ian Rees, 63, of Larkhall, placed on sex offenders’ register after undercover sting identified him by Batman pyjamas

Ian Rees, 63, from Larkhall, Lanarkshire, has been placed on the sex offenders’ register after admitting sexual offences against a decoy online account posing as a 12-year-old girl.

As part of Police Scotland’s Operation Cipio, an undercover officer posed as a 12-year-old girl from south Wales. In February 2024, an account named ‘Harleyguydan’ contacted the decoy. Rees asked “do you like older guys?” and, after being told the account belonged to a 12-year-old, said “I’m here for sex chat, do you like sex chat?” He then sent a string of messages and an explicit image of himself.

The image showed pyjama bottoms with Batman logos and distinctive geometric tiling on a toilet floor. Officers traced Rees to his home in Larkhall, which was searched. The ensuite floor tiling matched the photograph and a pair of Batman pyjama bottoms was recovered. He was arrested.

At Hamilton Sheriff Court, Rees admitted communicating indecently with the ‘girl’ and causing her to look at a sexual image.

Depute fiscal Neil Thomson told the court:

“A police officer was taking part in an undercover operation as part of Operation Cipio in their role to engage with individuals who use the internet and social media who may have a sexual interest in children.

“They were posing as a 12-year-old girl from south Wales when an account dubbed ‘Harleyguydan’ messaged the account.

“The user asked ‘do you like older guys?’ and was told she was 12 but then said ‘I’m here for sex chat, do you like sex chat?’

“After further messages were received the user sent the undercover officer a sexual image of himself.

“In the background, floor tiling could be seen depicting a geometric design along with a pair of pyjama bottoms worn by the user with what appeared to be Batman logos on them.

“Police officers later attended at his house in Larkhall and a search was carried out.

“The floor of the ensuite matched the floor in the picture and a pair of Batman pyjama bottoms were also recovered.”

Sheriff Louise Gallacher deferred sentence until January for reports and continued bail. She told Rees, a first offender: “Given the serious nature of the charge and that you do not have any previous convictions I’m required to call for reports.” He was placed on the sex offenders’ register.

Description

A man has been jailed for over six years for sexual offences in Lanarkshire.

Regan McClinton, 21, sexually assaulted two young girls in the Blantyre area on Saturday, 22 April, 2023.

He appeared at Kilmarnock High Court on Thursday, 30 October, 2025, where he was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison with a two-year extended sentence.

He was previously found guilty on Wednesday, 10 September, 2025.

McClinton has been added to the sex offenders’ register indefinitely and lifelong non-harassment orders imposed in respect of his victims.

Detective Inspector Lorraine Wilson said: “McClinton’s abhorrent actions have caused significant harm to his victims, and he has now been held to account.

"We hope this outcome brings them some degree of reassurance.

"We remain committed to investigating reports of sexual abuse and ensuring that responsible face the consequences of their actions.

"We would encourage anyone who is a victim of sexual assault to report it. They will be treated with sensitivity and supported by specially trained officers."

Description

Clelland engaged in hours of vile innuendos via chats but was confronted by a group at his home before arrest.

He quit his Scotrail job after sting footage went viral online.

Clelland, of Airdrie, Lanarkshire, denied wrongdoing and stood trial at Hamilton Sheriff Court.

A jury convicted him of sexual communications with the girl between April and September last year.

In evidence, he claimed the warped messages were sent to make her cut contact.

He told the court he used the app to communicate with others while his partner was at work.

The 37-year train driver admitted sending the messages but said there was no truth to them.

In one, he told her she would be 'stunning when older' and he could not wait to think about her being 17 or 18.

He said he was branded a 'blue collared paedophile' and 'f*****g nonce' during the sting.

Sheriff Colin Dunipace deferred sentence on the first offender until next month for reports and continued bail.

But he warned: "Be under no illusion you have been found guilty of an extremely serious matter but given you have no previous convictions I will continue bail at this stage."

Clelland was placed on the sex offenders' register.

Description

A 57-year-old man who fled abroad after being accused of sexual offences has now been convicted.

James Clacher, who was reported missing from Bellshill in May, 2022, was returned to Scotland to face trial after he had been traced in Spain in May, 2024, and arrested on an international warrant.

He has now been convicted of the serious sexual assault of two women in August, 2019 and September, 2020.

Detective Inspector Bruce Fyfe said:

“It's difficult to comprehend the distress and suffering Clacher caused the women in this case. I hope this conviction brings them some form of comfort. He will now face the consequences of his actions.

“Following the missing person report, extensive enquiries were carried out to establish his whereabouts.

“As the investigation into the missing person and sexual offences progressed, it became clear he had left the country to evade justice after faking his own death.

“We worked closely with our international law enforcement colleagues, including the National Crime Agency and Spanish Police and the perpetrator was subject to extraditions proceedings.

“This conviction demonstrates our commitment to thoroughly investigating serious offences and pursuing those who seek to avoid prosecution, no matter where they go.

“If anyone is experiencing or has experienced any type of sexual abuse, we have detectives dedicated to investigating such offences. Please report it and be assured you will be fully supported and listened to."

Description

A taxi driver, Aaron Burnicle, 36, was caught in a police sting after sending explicit messages and images to an online decoy posing as a 13-year-old girl on Kik.

Unaware he was communicating with an undercover officer, Burnicle was arrested by Police Scotland following a cross-border investigation.

During interviews, the father-of-one, who drove primary school children, denied any intent to harm children and became emotional.

At Hamilton Sheriff Court, he admitted to indecent communications with an older child. Evidence showed he accessed Kik over 2,900 times in a month.

Sheriff Liam Murphy deferred sentencing for reports, placed Burnicle on the sex offenders' register, and warned of the seriousness of the offense.

Description

A care worker engaged in sexual activity with a vulnerable man she was supposed to be looking after.

Megan Neilson, 28, was appointed to support the 29-year-old who suffers from cerebral palsy as well as epilepsy and also has a learning disability.

The pair quickly struck up a close bond which led to them both declaring that they loved each other.

Neilson repeatedly kissed and cuddled him during trips to a bowling alley and at Strathclyde Park while she later performed a sex act on him as they sat in a car parked at the Falkirk Wheel.

Their improper relationship came to light after the pair turned up hand-in-hand at his dad's house and told him they were together.

Neilson told the sickened father she would resign from her role as a support worker but police were called in.

When officers arrived at her home, Neilson asked: "Is this about the inappropriate relationship?"

Neilson, of Airdrie, Lanarkshire, denied any wrongdoing between June and August 2022 and went on trial at Hamilton Sheriff Court.

But jurors took an hour to convict her of engaging in sexual activity with the man while being a person who provided care services to him.

Jurors were shown a police interview with the man where he told them how he believed he was in a relationship with Neilson and described sexual acts between them.

He said: "She said if anybody found out about us she would lose her job, her daughter and her college course.

"I felt awkward because this had never happened to me before."

When asked how he felt about telling his parents and the police about Neilson, he replied: "I feel as if I made her a promise and broke it."

His dad told the court he had been 'suspicious' of the pair before they told him they were together.

He said: "They said 'we've something to tell you, we are in a relationship' and it took a while for it to sink in what was being said.

"I questioned Megan that it would be so wrong because she was one of his carers and she said 'I'm going to leave anyway so it will be fine'.

"I was in shock but then realised my suspicion was confirmed that there was something going on and I had this sickly feeling because it was a major breach of trust by the support worker working with him.

"He is still not the same wee laddie."

The court was also shown messages sent from Neilson to the man.

One said: "I love you. If it means losing everything, that's fine."

She then told him: "Delete this mind."

Neilson denied any sexual contact between the pair but said she resigned from her support role after developing an 'emotional relationship' with him.

The mum-of-two added: "I'm not sure why he has said this, it was maybe because he couldn't be with me but I can't get my head round it.

"I feel terrible, it has affected me really really badly and it has given me a lot of anxiety but there was nothing sexual between me and him."

Depute fiscal Lewis Devoy told jurors Neilson had committed a 'gross breach of trust' and said the man had 'no reason' to lie.

Lewis Kennedy, defence advocate, told the jury: "Her position is really straightforward and that is she was only involved in an emotional relationship with the complainer and that it was never sexual."

Sheriff Linda Nicolson deferred sentence on the first offender until next month for reports and continued her bail.

She added: "You have been found guilty by the jury of this charge which is obviously very serious."

Neilson, who is now unemployed, was placed on the sex offenders' register.

Description

A serial rapist who was jailed for attacking three women has abandoned plans to appeal his conviction and sentence.

Liam Sharpe was jailed in February for 13 years and 10 months after being convicted of carrying out a campaign of cruelty, violence and rape against his former partners.

All of the mums bravely gave evidence in court to see Sharpe –who was already serving a four-year jail sentence for domestic abuse convictions against two of the women – jailed for raping them.

In April, Sharpe, 37, of Coatbridge, launched a bid for freedom after instructing his legal team to challenge his conviction and sentence.

He was given a deadline of April 30 to file papers setting out the grounds of his appeal.

It has since been deemed abandoned.

Speaking previously, one of the women said: “Liam Sharpe is a narcissist and has not one bit of remorse.

“He will never take accountability for what he has done.

“He shouldn’t ever be let out as he is a danger to women. He needs to be kept locked up.”

The mum had told a jury how she was subjected to a torrent of violence by Sharpe, who raped her, choked her with a TV cable, tried to suffocate her and drove over her foot with his car.

Another of the mums had previously spoken out in the Sunday Mail and told how a secret coded message for help she sent from a holiday abroad saw Sharpe arrested after their plane landed in Glasgow.

The mum told how she sent a message via her child’s Amazon Kindle device from a Turkish hotel room 2500 miles away to alert a friend after violent Sharpe had tried to strangle her.

Sharpe was also convicted of brutally raping and assaulting another woman repeatedly over a five-year period.

He was convicted of nine charges involving serious domestic abuse and multiple rapes of the three women at various addresses in Coatbridge, Motherwell and Barrhead.

It followed a six-day trial at the High Court in Glasgow where he was convicted of carrying out a campaign of cruelty, violence and rape between December 2013 and January 2023.

Sharpe was also convicted in 2022 of a series of serious domestic assaults against two ex-partners. He was given four more years.

Sentencing him, Judge Gillian Wade KC said: “Each of your victims described the same pattern of control, abuse and manipulation set against your habitual substance abuse.”

He was put on the sex offenders list and banned from approaching or contacting the women.

Description

A drama teacher who engaged in sexual activity with three teenage girls while working at a school in South Lanarkshire has been jailed.

Craig Smith, 43, preyed on the girls who were in fifth and sixth year at a secondary school between 2015 and 2016.

On Tuesday, he was jailed for two years and three months.

Smith took advantage of his “position of trust” by messaging them compliments on Facebook.

He sent two girls indecent images of himself.

The ex-principal teacher later became physically involved with both pupils while they were in the school’s drama department.

Smith was suspended after he was caught sending a third girl – aged 14 – a sexualised message, which sparked the investigation into his conduct.

The drama teacher had appeared on TV shows River City, Gary Tank Commander, and Soapstars and had performed at the Edinburgh Fringe.

The first-time offender pled guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to engaging in sexual activity with the three girls.

The court heard that one of the girls was prone to panic attacks and received a Facebook message “apparently concerned for her welfare”.

Normal topics were discussed at first, but things escalated with Smith sending more sexualised messages.

He said: “You looked really good today, you looked good in uniform.”

Smith sent a naked image of himself during the conversation.

Smith went on to be physical with the girl in the drama department.

Prosecutor Jenny Reid said: “Smith kissed the girl and touched her… this lasted five minutes.”

He also performed a sex act on the girl.

He committed two more acts on the girl in the department’s drama base and control room.

The girl blocked Smith on social media upon leaving school at 18 years old and did not hear from him again.

Meantime, Smith sent another pupil compliments on Facebook, telling her she looked “hot”.

He sent indecent pictures and videos of himself.

Smith kissed the girl in the drama department and touched her body before having her perform a sex act on him.

Smith’s messages to the girl stopped once she left school.

The third girl was 14 when Smith messaged her on Facebook in 2018.

He asked her inappropriate questions and requested a picture, which made the girl feel “uncomfortable”, and she told him “no”.

The matter was reported to the head teacher and the police were contacted. 

The father-of-two was suspended.

Chris Broadley, defending, told the court: “He tells me that this was a former life and something that happened some time ago and that in 2025 he views things differently.

“He appreciates the serious nature of his conduct.”

Smith was put on the sex offenders register.

Description

A Strathaven masseur is facing jail after he was convicted of indecently assaulting 10 female patients.

Alistair Bennie, 61, denied molesting the women while treating them, but a jury returned guilty verdicts after a week-long trial at Hamilton Sheriff Court.

One victim said she felt “very violated” after Bennie touched her inappropriately and others told the court they were “very embarrassed” and “mortified”.

One woman said she “froze”.

Bennie denied any wrongdoing and his lawyer questioned why it had taken several years for most of the women to report him.

But prosecutor Neil Thomson said the case against him was “compelling”.

Most of the women didn’t know each other but there were “striking similarities” in what they said Bennie had done to them.

Mr Thomson told the jury: “This was a persistent course of conduct.”

The assaults happened between September 2017 and June 2022.

Mostly the women were targeted in their own home, often when someone else was also in the house.

One victim told the court she didn’t report Bennie immediately because she doesn’t like confrontation and felt sorry for him.

She said: “When we were chatting he told me about his personal life and problems he was having. I believe mentally he was not well and I felt sorry for him.”

After the guilty verdicts Bennie was put on the sex offenders’ register.

Sheriff Linda Nicolson deferred sentence until May for background reports, an electronic tagging assessment and a risk assessment.

Bennie, of Hamilton Road, Strathaven, remains on bail.

One of the bail conditions prevents him working as a masseur.

The sheriff told him: “The charges you have been convicted of are very serious and at this stage custody is uppermost in my mind.”

Description

A sex offender who avoided police checks by sleeping rough has been jailed for a year.

Scott Notman, also a convicted football hooligan, lied to cops by saying he had been in hospital when they were looking for him. The 49-year-old was sentenced at Airdrie Sheriff Court when he admitted failing to disclose a change of address within three days.

Notman was put on the sex offenders' register for five years in July 2023 after being caught in a paedophile sting. A court heard he used an online dating site to contact a female he believed to be aged 14.

'Emma' turned out to be an adult member of a vigilante group posing as a teenager. Notman arranged to meet her but didn't turn up.

Airdrie Sheriff Court heard police officers from the sex offenders' monitoring unit went to Notman's home in Airdrie for a routine check four times in October this year. There was no sign of him and housing officers who turned up with an eviction notice also got no reply.

Annette Ward, prosecuting, said: "Police officers traced him in a social work office in Bellshill on November 5. He claimed he had been in Monklands Hospital between October 18 and November 4.

"Enquiries at the hospital established he'd attended at the emergency unit on November 3 but was discharged after examination."

Defence lawyer Tony Linden said Notman's sex offender status had put him "at a low ebb", adding: "As remarkable as it seems, he chose to leave his house, preferring to sleep rough.

"Of course, the first thing he was required to do was tell the police, given the clear concerns that arose from them not knowing where he was."

Sheriff Joseph Hughes told Notman: "Your record shows breaches of non-harassment and community payback orders. This is another example of non-compliance and it's really serious.

"It can't be allowed to continue as you are on the sex offenders' register until 2028."

In 2021 Notman was jailed for 15 months for breaking a Hearts football fan's jaw in an unprovoked attack after a game against Motherwell.

Description

A former Police Scotland officer who subjected three former partners to violent attacks, sexual abuse and controlling behaviour has been jailed.

Christopher Ferguson, 31, targeted his victims over a 14-year period in the Lanarkshire area, including while at Glasgow's Helen Street police station.

He subjected one woman to repeated assaults, told her what she could wear, read her text messages and took away her mobile phone.

Ferguson was found guilty of nine charges including two counts of voyeurism.

He stalked one of the women through repeated phone calls and texts, delivered unwanted gifts, monitored her social media and waited outside a relative's home for her.

He sent a second woman intimate photographs of himself, repeatedly shouted and swore at her and made threats to harm himself.

The woman was also subjected to repeated violent assaults, including choking her, causing injury on multiple occasions.

He stalked the same woman by repeatedly monitoring her movements, turning up at her home and contacting her about an ongoing police investigation against him.

A third woman was also repeatedly attacked by Ferguson, causing her to fall down a flight of stairs.

'Unimaginable trauma'

He was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison and his name has been added to the sex offenders register for 10 years.

Non-harassment orders, preventing Ferguson from contacting or attempting to contact his victims, were also granted for a 10-year period.

Les Brown, procurator fiscal for South Strathclyde, said Ferguson is a "habitual domestic abuser" who inflicted "unimaginable trauma" on his victims.

“It took courage for them to speak out against a figure of some authority and I would commend their determination to seek justice," he said.

“The Crown is committed to the effective and fair prosecution of domestic and sexual crime, no matter who the offender is.

“I would urge anyone who has been the victim of similar offences to come forward.

“You will be listened to and supported as we use all the tools available to us to seek justice.”