Latest Offenders Lanarkshire

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Retired businessman Hamish McCall stopped his car outside a Lanarkshire school as children were leaving and was later arrested after two children gave statement to police.

A retired auctioneer who performed a sex act outside a primary school has been spared jail.

Hamish McCall, 66, stopped his car outside the school in Hamilton as children were leaving.

Pupils from a nearby secondary school also spotted former company director McCall in the vehicle.

A supermarket worker saw the group pointing and laughing but was left sickened when he realised McCall had his trousers down.

He noted the registration plate before McCall, a former president of the Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers in Scotland, sped off.

Two school children also gave statements to police and an investigation led to his arrest.

McCall, of Strathaven, was convicted of intentionally engaging in sexual activity in the presence of the two children in February 2020 after a trial at Hamilton Sheriff Court.

He has been put under supervision for 18 months by Sheriff Moira MacKenzie and also placed on the sex offenders' register for the same period.

In evidence, McCall, a former golf club captain, claimed he had stopped to answer his mobile phone and insisted he had done nothing wrong.

He said: "I have no interest in schools whatsoever, I went up past it to avoid congestion in Hamilton and had to answer my phone.

"I do have a habit of rubbing the top of my leg while I'm on the phone but no way would I have exposed myself.

"When I was interviewed by the police I was totally flabbergasted by what was happening because I had done nothing wrong, the wind had been taken right out my sails."

McCall retired in 2020 after a 48 year career in agriculture.

A source said: "McCall has been highly respected both professionally and in his community but his reputation lies in ruins."

Giving evidence to depute fiscal Alice Carey, a 14-year-old girl said: "I saw a man in the car and his pants were down and his trousers were open down to his waist.

"I don't know how long it went on for but I looked away after about 10 seconds.

"It made me feel embarrassed and it felt quite disgusting. I had just turned 14 and I was quite shocked when I got home because I'd never seen anything like that before."

A 13-year-old boy added: "I saw an old man in a car with his phone out and his hand was moving up and down."

Brian Fitzpatrick, defending, said: "It's hard to know how to address the court when Mr McCall is a 66-year-old man with no previous convictions."

Sheriff MacKenzie said: "The sentence will be one of a community payback order and you will be subject to supervision for the next 18 months."

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A police officer targeted crime victims with sex texts and naked selfies after investigating cases.

David Taylor bombarded two women who reported domestic abuse and a female who'd been sexually assaulted with filth.

The 37-year-old also boasted how he wanted to use his handcuffs on one of the women and act out a scene from Fifty Shades of Grey.

The Police Constable made contact with his first victim just an hour after he had dealt with her complaint.

He started inundating her with indecent messages, pictures and videos.

Taylor told the sex attack victim how he wanted to arrest her, cuff her to a bed and have sex with her.

And he sent naked photos and videos of himself in the shower to a woman whose ex had threatened to kidnap her daughter.

Now he has now been placed on the Sex Offenders' Register and warned he could be jailed over the breach of trust after a police probe into his conduct.

The details emerged yesterday when Taylor appeared in the dock at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court.

He pled guilty to four of the 13 charges he faced at the pre-trial hearing, admitting targeting three vulnerable women between 2011 and 2018.

Taylor admitted sending indecent images to a sex assault victim and then stalking her, communicating indecently with a domestic abuse victim, and sending indecent images to another domestic abuse survivor.

Prosecutor Peter Moyes said Taylor's first victim, who was 39 at the time in 2011, contacted police due to an issue between her and her ex husband.

Taylor advised her that it was a civil matter and gave her advice.

But just an hour later he began texting her, sending her "flirty" and "sexually explicit" messages.

The court heard she replied in a "non-flirty" way as she does not like confrontation.

The woman stopped replying and deleted his number from her phone.

But the messages came to light in 2019 as part of a probe into Taylor's crimes.

Taylor targeted his second victim after she was sexually assaulted in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, in 2016.

The court heard Taylor was assigned as the Reporting Officer in the case of the young woman, who was just 20.

In 2017, he contacted her through Snapchat and identified himself to her as "PC David Taylor".

He sent her messages about her court case and told her how he wanted to protect her.

Over the course of three months he sent her topless photos of himself, told her she looked beautiful when he attended her home while working on her case, and sent her sexual messages.

He also sent her messages captioned "wish you were here".

He also viewed her Snapchat story and then messaged her about where she was because her location was displayed, causing her to turn off the setting on her account.

Mr Moyes added: "He referred to arresting her, cuffing her to the bed and having sex with her.

"He would also refer to Fifty Shades of Grey. He sent her naked pictures of him.

"She deleted him. She felt it was disgusting and that she should not be contacted in that way.

"She felt the accused was in a position of authority over her and was scared to block him.

"She never explicitly told the accused to stop contacting her."

His last victim went to Kilmarnock police office to report her ex for threatening to kidnap her daughter.

Taylor began texting her and she suspected it was her ex pretending to be a police officer.

He sent her a picture of his face, then continued to send her messages, calling her "gorgeous".

Taylor also sent her a number of naked pictures and videos of himself in the shower.

The inquiry into Taylor started when the woman was arrested for an offence and her lawyer told prosecutors about the messages.

She was advised to contact police and officers began to investigate Taylor, of Glasgow.

Sheriff Alistair Watson warned Taylor to prepare himself for a jail term as he adjourned the case until next month for background reports to be prepared.

Chief Superintendent Andrew McDowall from Police Scotland's Professional Standards Department said: "The conduct of David Taylor was appalling. He breached the trust of the female victims he engaged with, and the trust of the wider public.

"I thank the victims for bravely reporting his deplorable actions, allowing officers to make an arrest and protect other women from this behaviour.

"We will respond to all reports of sexual crime irrespective of who the offender is. We will carry out detailed and thorough investigations and will be responsive to the needs of each victim.

"David Taylor was immediately suspended from duty once the circumstances came to light and had no further interaction with the public as a police officer.

"Had he remained a serving officer, he would have been reported to the Assistant Chief Constable, Professionalism and Assurance, to progress gross misconduct proceedings, the outcome of which can include dismissal without notice."

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A former soldier from Lanarkshire who claimed he had consumed nearly 30 alcoholic drinks before he carried out a sex attack on a young woman was today jailed for five years.

Christopher Robertson began molesting the woman after she fell asleep and raped her after she awoke during the ordeal at his former home in Airdrie.

The woman had been at a nightclub with friends before going on to a party, but decided to go home.

Robertson, 39, had also been out a pub with friends and contacted her while she was trying to get a taxi and they went back to his then-home.

She said she was tired and needed to go home but he suggested that she sleep at his house. She woke to find him lying on top of her subjecting her to an assault.

The woman was in a state of extreme distress when she spoke to witnesses following the attack on her.

Robertson, formerly of Mavisbank Street in Airdrie, had denied raping the woman during an earlier trial but was convicted of the offence committed on December 9, 2017.

During the attack he pulled down the lower clothing and underwear of the woman, who was 15 years younger than him, lay on top of her and molested her and after she wakened, raped her.

Judge Lord Boyd of Duncansby told Robertson: “You continue to deny your guilt and suggest that the complainer herself instigated sex.”

He said he had no doubt that the effects of Robertson’s offence will live with the victim for some time to come.

The judge told Robertson that he would be placed on the sex offenders’ register for an indefinite period following his sentencing.

The court heard that Robertson had drunk 10 pints of lager, six Jack Daniels and Coke, eight shots of Jagermeister and several bottles of Budweiser.

Robertson claimed that he went to bed as he was tired and that the woman joined him and they started kissing before having sex.

He claimed that he fell asleep and was not aware of the woman leaving the house. He said: “The next thing I remember was waking up with four CID officers in the room.

“They said there had been an allegation of rape against me. I said: ‘Are you f****** kidding me?’”

Defence solicitor advocate John Keenan said: “It would have to be accepted he was significantly under the influence of alcohol at the time this offence was committed.”

Mr Keenan said it was “a very serious offence” and Robertson appreciated that a prison sentence was inevitable.

He said the construction industry worker had previously served in the army for four years and did two tours of duty as a soldier in Iraq.

Robertson followed the sentencing proceedings at the High Court in Edinburgh via a video link to Barlinnie prison in Glasgow.

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A woman who screamed 'I'm not a beast' as she was convicted of sexually abusing two children attacked a custody officer moments after she was jailed.

Samantha Smith, 31, from Rutherglen, Lanarkshire, repeatedly preyed on a boy aged five and a three-year-old girl.

She was jailed for three years for the sickening campaign of abuse which lasted until the boy was eight and the girl five.

But she lashed out at a custody officer and kicked her in the stomach before being restrained in the cells at Hamilton Sheriff Court last year.

She has now re-appeared at the same court and admitted the assault in November.

Smith, whose earliest release date is May 2021, was handed a five month sentence to run alongside her current jail term by Sheriff Douglas Brown.

Depute fiscal Morag McLintock said: "The accused was not happy at being found guilty by the jury and caused problems in the court resulting in her being removed.

"She told the custody officer to go and f**k herself and kicked her on the stomach resulting in her falling to the ground and requiring others to assist.

"Thankfully the officer did not suffer any injuries after the accused's actions towards her."

Jim O'Dowd, defending, said: "She apologises for her behaviour and clearly it was out-of-order and she accepts that."

Sheriff Brown said: "I will impose five months imprisonment reduced from six."

Smith had denied abusing the youngsters, who cannot be named for legal reasons, between November 2009 and June 2014 at a house in East Kilbride, Lanarkshire.

Smith claimed to be 'elated' to be in court to clear her name at her original trial.

She told jurors: "The first I heard about this was when the police came to the house.

"I'm horrified to be accused of these things.

"I'm actually elated at the thought of being in court to clear my name over this."

She was forced to flee her home in Blantyre, Lanarkshire, after 40 people turned up outside to protest against her.

As Smith was led away to begin her jail sentence, she yelled "paedos should be hung not put in jail, I'm not a paedophile" before turning to relatives of the victims and shouting "what goes around comes around".

She was placed on the sex offenders' register indefinitely.

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Marcus Donald has been jailed for more than two years after pouncing on the 15-year-old near her home in East Kilbride.

A sex predator snared after his victim's father caught him attacking his daughter has been jailed for more than two years.

Marcus Donald pounced on the frightened 15-year-old after following her off a bus in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire.

Donald struck just a short distance from the schoolgirl's home.

A judge heard how her panic-stricken dad heard her screams and immediately raced out.

Donald was soon held and today appeared for sentencing at the High Court in Glasgow.

The 25 year-old first offender had earlier pled guilty to a charge of assault with intent to rape.

Lord Burns jailed him for two years and four months. He also ordered him to be monitored for a further two years on his release.

The judge said: You carried out a terrifying attack on a 15 year-old girl at night.

You resorted to violence to try and rape her. It was fortunate her parents were close by and could go to her assistance.

Donald, also of East Kilbride, will be on the sex offenders list indefinitely.

The attack happened after the girl had been out with friends on May 25.

Donald was on the same bus and went to ask the teenager: Can I get your number?

The girl felt uneasy and ignored the dad-of-one.

But, when she got off, Donald followed her.

The young victim tried to walk faster, but Donald grabbed her and shoved the girl to the ground

The teenager pleaded with her attacker as he tugged at her leggings.

Prosecutor Jim Keegan QC said: She shouted: 'please don't'. She started to scream for her parents. She happened to be only two minutes from her house.

Donald then punched the girl who continued to cry for help.

Mr Keegan added: Her parents heard and ran outside. Her father saw Donald standing over his daughter attempting to pull at her leggings.

He shouted at Donald, who then ran off.

The schoolgirl was described as extremely frightened following her ordeal Donald was later identified from CCTV where he was spotted near to the girl on the bus.

It also emerged he had called a taxi after the attack. The driver recalled him being breathless as he got in his cab.

Lord Burns said the sentence would have been three and a half years, but for the guilty plea.

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Adam Bushell was not allowed unsupervised access to children - but he moved in with a woman and her young daughter

Devious sex offender Adam Bushell breached court orders by moving in with a single mum after changing his name to try to keep his sordid past a secret.

The 27-year-old was locked up in 2016 after being caught by paedophile hunters Dark Justice when he turned up for a meeting with what he thought was a 13-year-old girl he wrongly believed he had been chatting to on a dating website.

Having served a prison sentence for that, he was placed under restrictions in the community and was banned from having unsupervised contact with children without parental permission and without having disclosed his previous offending.

But he met a woman on a dating site and moved in with her and her 10-year-old daughter and had been living with her for eight months before the truth finally came out.

A court heard the woman had no idea he was a sex offender until her friend became suspicious and found him on a Google search.

He had been left alone with the youngster on numerous occasions, although there is no suggestion he abused her.

A judge branded Bushell devious after hearing he had even changed his name to Andrew Robinson in a bid to keep his past a secret.

The horrified mum, who was pregnant by him by the time she found out about his past, said she felt physically sick and said she wanted him out of her life.

Now Bushell has been sent back to prison for two years after he admitted failing to comply with sex offender registration requirements and breaching a sexual harm prevention order. Those orders remain in force.

Judge Simon Batiste, at Newcastle Crown Court, told him: I am satisfied you changed your name in order to hide your identity and hide your past.

You lived with a 10-year-old child and never notified her mother.

In my judgement, these were very high risk actions, given your previous convictions.

They show a very high level of deviousness and connivance.

People who behave in such a high risk way, having committed the past offences you have, must understand these orders, the sex offenders register and the sexual harm prevention order, have teeth.

You must understand, these requirements upon you must be met or longer and longer custodial sentences will follow.

Prosecutor Neil Pallister told the court Bushell had been assigned a risk management officer when he was released from his 16 month sentence for the Dark Justice offences.

By March this year Bushell, who had made excuses to keep the officer away from the Jarrow address he had been living at and suggested they meet at a police station, had lost contact completely with the authorities.

It was later revealed he had started a relationship with the woman early last year and had moved in with her in September.

Mr Pallister added: She has confirmed at no point did the defendant disclose he was the subject of a sexual harm prevention order or a registration requirement.

Throughout their relationship, the defendant continued to use the surname Robinson and was introduced to friends and family using the name Robinson.

The court heard the truth was revealed when a woman Bushell was introduced to became suspicious about him.

Mr Pallister said: The name she knew him by, Adam Robinson, she Googled and nothing came up.

In May 2018 she Googled Adam Newcastle and came up with a number of images of sex offenders. An image of Adam Bushell came up.

She immediately recognised that the image was the same male she knew as Adam Robinson.

When she found out, the single mum he had been living with told police: I dont want to speak to him, I just want him out of my life. I feel physically sick.

Brian Mark, defending, said there was no suggestion Bushell had committed any sexual offences.

Mr Mark said Bushell had wanted a normal life and a normal relationship and added: He slipped the leash in order to be able to have a relationship.

It was about his selfish wish to have a relationship.

Bushell had been jailed for 16 months in 2016 after he started talking to a decoy profile on an adult dating website and soon started exchanging private messages with her via Whatsapp, despite thinking she was just 13.

During the conversations, Bushell asked for nude pictures and sent shirtless snaps of himself. When asked if her young age put him off, Bushell said it did a bit and said he couldnt have sex due to her age but then promised to be gentle.

He was confronted by members of Dark Justice, who alerted the police, when he turned up to meet the girl in Newcastle.

In 2011, Bushell was convicted of battery after putting duct tape over the mouth of a woman who was 33 weeks pregnant and given a suspended sentence.

He assaulted the same woman later that year and was jailed.

Bushell received a caution in 2010, when he was 19, for having sex with a teenage schoolgirl.

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A pervert told who a horrified mother he "hated paedos but had become one" after confessing to molesting her daughter has been jailed for two years.

Calum Adams, 25, was caught after his nine-year-old victim told her mum he had been repeatedly assaulting her and texting her vile messages.

The girl bravely showed her mother sickening messages he had sent her.

Adams, of East Kilbride, Lanarkshire, first met the girl, who can't be named for legal reasons, when she was aged just four.

However, as time passed he subjected her to numerous sexual assaults.

The terrified victim kept quiet about Adams' twisted behaviour before bravely telling her mum who demanded an explanation.

He sent a text saying: "I hate paedos and now I have become one, I hate myself because of it."

He added "I never meant to do it ` I feel sick" and when he realised the police had been called he wrote "I shouldn't be alive, I am vile, I am a monster."

Adams admitted sexually assaulting the girl between August and October last year and has been jailed at Hamilton Sheriff Court.

He also confessed to intentionally sending his victim messages of a sexual nature.

Sheriff Thomas Millar ordered him to be kept on the Sex Offenders' Register for 10 years.

Depute fiscal Michael Macintosh said: "He began texting her to ask her to let him touch her saying that she would like it.

"She showed them to her mother who confronted the accused and he made admissions to both touching the complainer and sending the messages and the matter was reported to the police.

"The messages included phrases such as 'trust me you would love it'."

The court heard Adams contacted the girl's mother by text after she confronted him.

Mr Macintosh added: "He said 'I don't blame you for feeling this way and I will go to therapy'.

"The accused added, 'I don't blame you for hating me, I hate paedos and now I have become one, I hate myself because of it'.

Sandy Morrison, defending, said: "It is clear he co-operated fully and there are no matters outstanding and he has no record.

"As a result of these offences, an address will not be provided for him by his family given the nature of the offending.

"These matters are extremely serious and a period of custody will be justifiable although he has been remanded since being arrested in October.

"He is deemed a low risk of re-offending in the future."

Warped Adams has now been disowned by his family.

heriff Millar said: "It is clear from the report that you bitterly regret getting involved in this but you realise the effect these charges can have on those involved.

"You will start to get some assistance while in custody and it will be up to you to see if you still think that the help is necessary when you are released.

"You have recognised the serious nature of the offences and are aware of the consequences of what has to happen to you."

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A SEXUAL predator who attacked a sleeping woman has been jailed for 18 months.

Ross Laing, 21, of Maxwell Place, Coatbridge, carried out the sickening assault on the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, as she slept on August 15 last year.

Following a trial at Airdrie Sheriff Court, a jury took just over an hour to find Laing guilty by a majority verdict of the attack on the woman, who had to relive her ordeal by giving evidence.

Laing was convicted of sexually penetrating the woman and placing his hand under her clothing while she was asleep, causing her to awaken.

The jury then heard under questioning from Prosecutor Julie OHara how Laing grabbed the woman by the shoulder and pulled her on to her back, penetrating her with his fingers, then chased her and pushed her towards the bed and attempted to prevent her from leaving the room.

The jury acquitted Laing of a second sexual charge by a majority verdict, finding the case against him not proven.

He had been charged with an offence, also alleged to have happened at his home on August 15.

It had been claimed he sexually assaulted another woman by seizing her by the arms, pulling her down on to his bed and repeatedly attempting to lie on top of her, repeatedly attempting to kiss her and placing his hand under her bra. It was also claimed he touched her breasts, pushed up her skirt, and placed his hand inside her underwear and touched her against her will.

Sheriff Frank Pieri told Laing that as well as being jailed for 18 months he has also been placed on the sex offenders register.

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A SEXUAL predator has been caged for six years for grooming two under-age girls.

Brandon Watson, from Blantyre, has also been placed on the Sex Offenders Register after pleading guilty to three serious sexual assaults, including the statutory rape of two underage girls, grooming offences and the possession of indecent images of children.

The 20-year-old was arrested by officers from Hamilton Police Office following an extensive and detailed investigation which was initiated by one of the girls involved.

Detective Inspector David Tassie, who was the senior investigating officer, said: Thanks to one brave girl who raised the alarm via a social networking site, this sexual predator has been brought to justice. Her actions alerted the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre, who in turn contacted Strathclyde Police.

A police investigation was immediately launched with a major incident room and specialist inquiry team being established.

This included a team of detectives, officers from the computer crime unit and specially trained sexual offences liaison officers.

It quickly became apparent to the inquiry team that Watson had targeted other girls, aged between the ages of 12 and 15 years.

They were identified as having been groomed by him into committing various sexual acts, both in person and online.

As part of the investigation, officers commissioned the expertise of forensic psychologist Dr Joe Sullivan, who compiled a report explaining the manipulation tactics typically used by offenders such as Watson. This was instrumental in achieving a conviction.

The disturbing aspect of this inquiry is that these girls were groomed online from the safety of their own home.

Unfortunately, there are sexual predators, like Watson, who use the internet to commit crime and I cannot stress enough how important it is for parents and guardians of children to know what it is they are doing online and who they are speaking to. Watson is off our streets and out of harms way for now. However, we cannot, and should not be, complacent about this type of behaviour.

We will continue to work with all organisations sharing intelligence and information in our efforts to stop children becoming online victims of crime.

Jennifer Harrower, District Procurator Fiscal for Hamilton, said: This was a highly complex investigation into a prolific sex offender with a predatory approach to young girls, which involved extremely close working between specialist units of both police and prosecutors.

The scale of the inquiry grew significantly in size as more details about the accused's offending come to light.

Police and prosecutors then worked swiftly to identify the crucial computer evidence, in order not only to bring the accused to court but to identify further crimes and complainers.

Those of us in the justice system are becoming more and more experienced at identifying the perpetrators of such crimes and bringing them to justice, through the use of specialist units and expert advisors.

A spokesperson for CEOP said All too often, children and young people do not understand, or indeed realise, the risks they may face when they are online.

Talking to strangers or uploading photos for others to see can seem like a good idea at the time, but the consequences of these actions can cause long lasting issues.

The sentencing shows that through education and raising awareness of such risks, young people can be empowered to make life changing decisions.

CEOPs Thinkuknow education programme provides advice and guidance on a range of issues to both young people and also their parents and I would encourage people to visit www.thinkuknow.co.uk to find out more.