Latest Offenders Perth

Description

A convicted sex offender who searched online "how to kill a woman" before stabbing a 23-year-old in the back has been given a life sentence.

Brandon Bloice planned to rape his victim after stabbing her, but fled when she shouted for help.

He struck in Carpenter Street, Perth, minutes after following another woman, who ran away.

Bloice, 23, was given an Order for Lifelong Restriction, and must serve a minimum of four years in jail.

The order means he will only be freed when the authorities deem he is no longer a risk to the public.

Bloice previously admitted attempting to murder the woman with intent to rape, as well as threatening and abusive behaviour towards the other.

Judge Gillian Wade QC warned Bloice that he may never be freed.

She said: "This was an abhorrent and pre-meditated assault.

"These events occurred against a background of established sexual offending and stringent monitoring, but you failed to comply with the measures put in place to protect the public."

Sharp pain

The High Court in Glasgow heard that the woman was walking to a local shop at about 00:40 when she felt a sharp pain in her back.

Prosecutor Shanti Maguire told the hearing: "She screamed and turned around. She saw Bloice facing her.

"She started screaming "help, police" over and over again."

Bloice ran off in the direction of Perth Concert Hall and was traced in a city hostel the next day.

Officers examined phones and a tablet device discovered in his room.

Miss Maguire said: "During the analysis, it was established he had used the search terms "how to kills (sic) a woman stabbing" and "can a dead woman still get pregnant"."

The advocate depute said Bloice now accepted that the assault was carried out with intent to rape.

Ronnie Renucci, defending, said background reports into Bloice made "somewhat depressing reading".

The QC said: "It will be entirely up to him if he engages with the authorities to try and improve his situation."

Description

A Catholic priest let altar boys smoke cannabis and drink alcohol so he could sexually abuse them.

One of Father Thomas MacCarte's victims thought the priest was "cool" for letting them hang out in his room.

But there was "another side" to MacCarte, who preyed on children at Bishop Eton Monastery in Woolton Road, Childwall.

Liverpool Crown Court heard the pervert made one teenage boy watch gay porn, before twice performing a sex act on him.

However, when one victim's dad complained about MacCarte to the church, the priest was simply moved away to Scotland.

MacCarte, now 70 and of St Mary's Monastery, Hatton Road, Perth, denied five counts of indecent assault.

A six-day trial heard how MacCarte was born in Glasgow and in the 1980s and early 1990s lived and worked at Bishop Eton.

Robert Wyn Jones, prosecuting, said it was there he met the two altar boys - Boy A and Boy B.

Mr Wyn Jones said MacCarte "drank too much" and sometimes walked home to the monastery drunk.

The court heard Boy A had thought MacCarte was "cool" and said he didn't lecture boys about sex or lust.

Mr Wyn Jones said he also let Boy A and some of his friends visit his accommodation in the monastery to smoke cannabis and drink alcohol there.

However, he said: "There was another side to Father MacCarte. He was very tactile. He would stroke his hair in a way that was far too affectionate. He would talk about sex and mutual masturbation."

The court heard one time Boy A helped MacCarte get home after the priest had drunk too much.

Mr Wyn Jones said: "They were walking along Woolton Road, which has a few houses overlooking it at that point. It was pretty deserted.

"Father MacCarte was wearing a cassock and he grabbed Boy A by the head and forced his head under his cassock to the area of his penis.

"He was clothed but Boy A remembers smelling the stale urine and pulled his head away."

The jury heard when Boy A visited MacCarte in his room, the priest would question him about masturbation, saying "I bet you do it".

Mr Wyn Jones said: "He remembers Father MacCarte would urinate in the sink in his room and wave his penis about when he had finished."

He said MacCarte would also give Boy A money.

The court heard Boy B turned to Father MacCarte for support when he was undergoing psychological problems and drinking heavily.

Mr Wyn Jones said MacCarte "spoke kindly to him and gave him alcohol", just as he had Boy A.

He said: "Father MacCarte would show him pornography while he was drunk, in particular gay pornography.

"Boy B recalls while he was drunk Father MacCarte took Boy B's lower clothing off and performed oral sex upon him."

The court heard he did this twice and MacCarte wanted Boy B to do the same to him, but that didn't happen.

Mr Wyn Jones said: "This was happening to Boy B when he was vulnerable and needed support.

"It only came to an end when Father MacCarte was sent away by the church."

The court heard that happened after Boy B told his dad "sexual things" had happened with the priest.

The jury was told the boy's dad complained to Bishop Eton, then the parish priest.

Mr Wyn Jones said: "It was agreed that the matter would be dealt with by the church internally and Father MacCarte was moved away to Scotland with the promise that he would be sent on a course.

"These things were dealt with rather differently back then."

The court heard the abuse took its toll on Boy A, who received counselling but "has always struggled to come to terms with it".

Mr Wyn Jones said Boy A had discussed what happened to him with various people and one night, after a discussion with a friend about sexual abuse within the Catholic Church, became upset.

This led to Boy B learning that Boy A had been abused by MacCarte, having "thought it was just him".

Both victims went to the police and reported what happened to them in 2019.

When arrested and interviewed, MacCarte agreed he had worked at the church and told police he recalled the two boys.

However, he denied sexually abusing them and said he couldn't remember why he had been moved from Liverpool to Perth.

MacCarte told the jury the incidents hadn't happened and his victims weren't telling the truth.

However, jurors heard evidence from Boy B's dad and from his mum about the complaint the dad made and how the church reacted to it at the time.

They also heard evidence from a friend of Boy A, who said years previously Boy A confided in him that he had been abused by a priest at Bishop Eton.

The jury also heard from a friend of Boy B, who recalled how Boy B was very confused about MacCarte's behaviour, so he agreed to go with him to the priest's accommodation.

This witness described how MacCarte sat too close to him and stroked his hair, which made him feel uncomfortable, so he told the priest to stop and he and Boy B left.

MacCarte was found guilty of three counts of indecent assault by a majority of 11-1 and acquitted of two further counts of indecent assault.

Judge Gary Woodhall remanded him on bail until his sentencing next month.

A previous version of this article repeated an error, made in court, about the precise circumstances in which a complaint about MacCarte was made to the parish priest.

Description

AN aspiring actor has been ordered to stay away from dogs after starring in a home movie featuring him having sex with his pet.

Cops found a video appearing to show depraved Ewan Cole, 20, in a compromising position with a German Shepherd.

Perth Sheriff Court earlier heard a stash of vile child abuse images was also found on his iPhone.

Cole has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register and ordered to stay away from dogs and any children under the age of 16.

Unemployed Cole admitted having an "unnatural connection with a dog" at his then home in Manse Crescent, Stanley, in December 2019.

He also possessing "extreme pornographic images depicting in an explicit and realistic way" a man having sex with a dog and performing a sex act with a dog.

In addition, he pled guilty to having indecent photos of children between 12 December 2019 and 3 March 2020.

Defence solicitor Steve Lafferty said: "He has consulted with his doctor and he realises he has a problem.

"He thinks there may be some kind of psychiatric disorder."

He was bailed pending sentencing but put on the sex offenders register and banned from going near kids or dogs.

Sheriff Wood told Cole: "The court is very concerned about the nature of these charges."

Description

Stefan Scott, 26, raped three victims and committed almost identical offences against all of the women by punching and strangling them.

A controlling monster who physically and sexually abused six women during a seven-year campaign of violence has been caged.

Stefan Scott, 26, was convicted of brutally strangling and raping three of the women, subjecting one of them to two violent rape ordeals.

He committed almost identical offences against all of his victims, threatening them, calling them derogatory names, punching them and often grabbing them by the throat.

The women he sexually assaulted who can't be named for legal reasons told a jury at the High Court in Livingston that Scott would not take no for an answer when he wanted sex and quickly became violent.

They gave evidence that the Buckfast drinker would hurl insults at them, calling them stupid bitch, slag, slut or whore and punch them repeatedly if they disobeyed his commands.

The jury took three hours to return unanimous verdicts finding him guilty of a total of 21 charges including the rapes, assault to injury and danger of life and making violent threats.

A further charge of raping one of his victims while asleep was found not proven and he was acquitted by judge Lord Burns.

During the five day trial, the rape victims aged 21, 29 and 33 gave remarkably similar accounts of how Scott would restrict their breathing by compressing their throat as he raped them.

The 33-year-old said he held her head under water and raped her three different ways during one terrifying incident.

Scott claimed in his own defence that all sexual activity with the women had been consensual and he denied their claims that he wouldn't take no for an answer claiming if the women werent up for sex it didn't happen.

He admitted there had been frequent arguments while he was with the females and that he had punched one of the women three times during a row.

He flatly denied strangling and raping any of them but the jury didnt believe him.

Former partners aged, 25, and 26, told how their relationships with Scott started well but quickly descended into controlling violence.

Evidence from a 29-year-old, who has since passed away, was also read out by a police officer.

The 25-year-old said he pinned her to a bed with his hands round her throat and compressed her neck for several minutes, restricting her breathing to the danger of her life.

She said he also threw a pot of water containing pasta at her forcing her to put her hands up to protect her face.

On another occasion he delivered a full-blown punch to her eye bursting her eyebrow and told her to tell people shed bumped into a door.

Another time he pulled her by the ankles off a bed so that she landed heavily on the floor

The 26-year-old said she spent six months with Scott before she discovered he was cheating on her with the 29-year-old, who was her best friend. During that time she said he would repeatedly shout and swear at her and call her abusive names.

After he started seeing the friend, she said she noticed her friend had bruises including a distinctive one in the shape of an iron on her leg.

The friend gave a statement to police after being admitted to hospital with severe bruising down her back and choke marks on her neck.

She revealed that he had threatened to burn down her home, tried to strangle her and pushed her head on the floor and repeatedly punched her to her injury.

She also told police she was subject to the same sort of name calling spoken to by the other witnesses.

Following the guilty verdicts advocate depute Cath Harper revealed that Scott, of Rannoch Road, Perth, had previous convictions for domestic abuse and had served two 10-month prison terms, the most recent imposed in August last year.

Lord Burns called for reports into Scotts background and an assessment of the risk he poses to the public in general and women in particular before passing sentence at Glasgow High Court on 5 April. He remanded Scott in custody until then.

He ordered that Scottish Ministers be notified of the rape convictions under laws for the protection of vulnerable groups and told Scott his name would remain on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Description

A teenager who blackmailed children into making sexually explicit videos has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years detention.

Glen Wilson, 19, persuaded girls as young as 12 to send him images and films, which he offered to share with fellow paedophiles.

Perth Sheriff Court was told one of the children had been left suicidal.

Wilson, of Longforgan, Perthshire, admitted 23 charges of extortion and possessing child abuse material.

The offences took place between between September 2015 and June last year.

Wilson was also placed on the sex offenders register for life and will be subject to an 18-month supervised release period.

Sheriff Gillian Wade described Wilson's actions as "despicable."

Wilson targeted victims from as far afield as London, Wales, Sheffield, Derby, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

The court heard previously that he chatted to the girls on social media sites before persuading them to send him photographs in various stages of undress.

Wilson then sent them back a screenshot with their contacts and told them he would send the picture of them to their friends and family if they did not comply with his requests.

'Significantly distressed'

The girls were scared of being exposed to their families and complied with Wilson's demands.

Wilson told one victim: "You have two options. You either do what I ask or I send.

"Block me, delete me, report me, tell your parents - do any of these things and I press the send button."

He told another child: "I don't want to ruin your life, but I will if you make me."

Defence solicitor George Donnelly said: "He came from a happy, settled background.

"His remorse is absolute and unconditional. His university career is over.

"These are quite frankly dreadful offences with serious consequences for the complainers."

Sheriff Wade told Wilson: "It is most regrettable that someone with your potential will now spend a significant amount of time in jail.

"These children were significantly distressed by your threats and one indicated she was feeling suicidal.

"However, you continued to pressurise her to send further images despite that knowledge.

"The nature of the messages you sent was despicable."

Description

A used car salesman who abducted and repeatedly raped a teacher was jailed for 10 years and six months.

Barry Dalton was found guilty of the "brutal and sustained attack" carried out in Perth in November.

The jury at the High Court in Perth also found the 40-year-old guilty of a series of violent attacks on other women.

He was jailed for eight years for the abduction and rape and 30 months for the other offences.

Dalton was found guilty of abducting the teacher and detaining her at an address in Perth's Dunkeld Road on 17 and 18 November last year.

He kicked and punched the woman, brandished a pair of scissors and a plank of wood at her, bit and scalped her, compressed her throat and repeatedly raped her.

His victim told the jury she was too scared to leave the house when Dalton went downstairs briefly because she was afraid he would kill her.

After she got away and reported the rapes, police started an investigation which led them to a number of female victims and a man who had also been attacked.

'Outrageous behaviour'

Dalton was convicted of breaking into Tamas Bagi's flat in the city and punching him and brandishing a knife at him just days before the rape took place.

He was also found guilty of assaulting several women, including a former girlfriend.

Defence counsel Ronnie Renucci told the court that Dalton "accepts his behaviour was outrageous".

He added: "He has asked me to apologise to the victims through the court for his behaviour."

Sentencing, Lord Glennie told Dalton: "You have been convicted of a series of assaults against defenceless young women, including the final brutal and sustained attack.

"You clearly have anger management issues, but that does not explain your violent conduct or the rapes that followed. Any rape - particularly accompanied by the use of force - necessitates a lengthy sentence.

"The severity of the beating you inflicted before raping your victim three times demands a lengthy custodial sentence. It must be made clear that such conduct is unacceptable."

Description

Reportedly in Perth

AN ANGUS teenager yesterday admitted underage sex with a 13-year-old girl in his bedroom.

Lee Clark, 19, of Kirriemuir, was caught when the girl confided in a friend and the police were informed.

Clark also carried out a sex act on himself over a webcam while playing a game of Truth or Dare with a 14-year-old girl online.

The 19-year-old admitted the offences when he appeared at the High Court in Aberdeen yesterday.

Advocate depute Ashley Edwards said Clark and the 14-year-old girl got in contact with one another through Facebook.

The pair then started chatting online through the MSN chat site and their conversations became flirty through playing Truth or Dare.

Clark ended up completely naked when they played the game online again the following night.

And he carried out a sex act on himself on his bed with the webcam on.

The schoolgirl dared him to repeat the act when they chatted on MSN on another occasion and he carried it out with his shorts on.

The schoolgirls teachers were later informed about the incident, which happened between February 1 and March 10 2011, and police were called in.

The court heard that Clark admitted to officers that he knew that the girl was either 13 or 14 years old.

Clark had sex with another schoolgirl a few weeks later.

He arranged to meet the 13-year-old girl at his house through a series of texts on June 12 2011.

The girl later revealed that she felt that Clark was being really persistent and repeatedly asked her for sex.

Ms Edwards told the court: She felt it was going to happen and nothing was going to stop it so she gave up.

Shortly after she went home, Clark received a text message from the girl stating: I wont get pregnant will I? He replied: No. Clark was later detained and cautioned and admitted that he knew the girl was under the age of 16.

He was initially charged with rape, but his guilty plea to a lesser charge of having intercourse with an older child was accepted yesterday.

Defence lawyer Matt Jackson said the Crown had recognised that the accused had honestly believed that there had been consent.

Sentence was deferred on Clark until January 8 when the case will be heard at the High Court in Glasgow.

Description

A PAEDOPHILE caught with an enormous haul of child porn told police he felt SORRY for the young victims in them.

Hugh Caldwells stash of almost 65,000 pictures and videos included more than 130 rated as the most sickening type.

The 31-year-old was caught when cops acting off a tip off raided his parents home in Perth.

Fiscal depute Alan Kempton told Perth Sheriff Court: The police told him the visit was in relation to indecent images and he replied: Yes, that will be me.

He admitted images of children would be found on his computer. The bulk were at level one, but 131 images and one video were at level five.

Caldwell told police: I wish none of this had ever happened. I am very sorry for the people in the photos and for the people I have let down.

He admitted downloading the sickening images regularly over six years until last October.

Sheriff Robert McCreadie placed Caldwell, who has no previous convictions, on the sex offenders register and deferred sentence for reports. He was bailed.