Latest Offenders West Lothian

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A West Lothian who told jurors that he wouldn’t abuse women because it would be like “scaring away the prey” has been jailed.

Tendayi Magadu, 51, made the hunting reference when he told prosecution lawyer Shanti Maguire that he wouldn’t harm females. However, jurors at the High Court in Edinburgh heard evidence that showed Magadu raping two women, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

The court heard how the sex offender made a recording with his mobile phone of the rape of one his victims. He also made a recording of his victim “doing a private act” with also the intention of obtaining personal “sexual gratification” or her “humiliation”.

Magadu, of Broxburn, denied any wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him by the Crown. He gave evidence in his own defence.

During proceedings, jurors heard how Magadu verbally abused his victims, calling one of the women “used goods”. When Ms Maguire asked him about the abuse, Magadu denied any wrongdoing.

He said: “Why would I do that? That would be like scaring away the prey.”

Magadu was convicted on Thursday afternoon of raping two women in the West Lothian town. These sexual assaults took place between August 2010 and November 2019. He was also convicted on voyeurism charges by making recordings of one of the woman, who is now aged 42.

Magadu also raped another woman, who is now aged 46. Magadu was brought to justice after police learned of his activities.

Jurors saw the recording that he made of him raping the woman. The court heard that at the time of the assault, the female, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was asleep and was incapable of providing consent to her attacker.

Magadu removed her clothing and raped her. When she awoke, he pushed her on her bod and restrained her before continuing the attack. He then made two further recordings of her performing private acts violating voyeurism laws.

The court also heard evidence that on an occasion between August and November 2010, Magadu raped another woman whilst she was “intoxicated”.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges. In her closing speech to jurors, Ms Maguire urged them to return guilty verdicts in the case.

She said that Magadu’s decription of women as “prey” was indicative and insightful of his wider attitudes towards females. Ms Maguire added: “It may have been an analogy but what an analogy it was.”

She also said: “The Crown have led a clear, powerful and compelling body of evidence against the accused.

“I invite you to find the accused guilty of each of the charges on the indictment.”

After conviction, it emerged that Magadu had convictions for road traffic offences and had served a prison sentence for attempting to pervert the course of justice. Defence solicitor advocate Brian Gilfedder asked judge Lady Poole to continue his client’s bail ahead of a sentence hearing next month.

Lady Poole deferred sentence to obtain a report on Magadu’s background. She also placed him on the Sex Offenders Register. She told Magadu: “You will be remanded in custody meantime.”

Lady Poole then thanked them for their service in a case which was not “easy” or “pleasant” to serve as jurors. She also thanked them for their service which she described as being of “real value” to the public interest.

Magadu will be sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh on November 15 2024.

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A musician who told horrified strangers he was 'evil' and shared warped thoughts about buying a baby to abuse is facing jail.

Cameron Shaw, 28, contacted random people via social media using different accounts and struck up conversations. But he quickly moved the chat towards the twisted abuse of youngsters.

Shaw asked one man if he knew anyone who would have a baby for him and that he would even pay 'monthly' for the child.

The fiend added: "Can you help me get a baby or a desperate woman who will have one for me."

He then said he would do 'evil stuff' to the baby and wanted to make the child 'cry a bit' because he enjoyed 'seeing them in pain'. Shaw later told a woman on Telegram that he wanted to 'have a bairn for a couple of hours' and liked to see 'bairns in pain'.

Another man was sent a video by Shaw which showed an 8-month-old baby being sexually abused. The sickened people who were contacted by Shaw in June and July last year took screenshots of what he was sending and reported him to police.

He told officers he was 'disgusted and disturbed' by the allegations being made against him and that he would 'never hurt a child'. A raid of his former bedsit flat in Bellshill, Lanarkshire, found 53 images of child abuse along with 18 videos with many at the most depraved level on various devices.

Shaw, of Fauldhouse, West Lothian, appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court and admitted sending sexual communications. He also pled guilty to possessing indecent images of children between March and July last year.

The court heard Shaw had previously taught youngsters piano as a private tutor and in a formal education setting.

Describing one chat Shaw had with a stranger, depute fiscal Carla McGuire said: "The complainer states that her husband said something like 'this f****rs trying to sell a bairn' then showed her a chat with JLad123 on Telegram. She states JLad123 messaged about how he could 'have a bairn for a couple of hours' and then JLad123 wrote about being 'evil' and that he liked to see 'bairns in pain'."

The prosecutor revealed that in a chat with another man, Shaw had said: "I'm looking for some c**t who can be as evil as I am. I want to use something, someone small, in a really evil way."

Neil Kilcoyne, defending, said: "He understands the serious nature of the charges and understands the gravity of what he has done."

Sheriff Louise Gallacher deferred sentence on first offender Shaw until August for reports and continued bail. But the sheriff warned: "Bail is continued but that is not an indication of what the sentence will be, these are very serious matters."

Shaw was placed on the sex offenders' register.

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A sex offender who terrorised women and girls is facing a lengthy jail term after being convicted of his crimes. John McKechnie was found guilty at the High Court in Edinburgh.

He was convicted of two charges by a jury, having earlier pleaded guilty to 14 other offences. The 32-year-old was convicted of rape, possessing indecent images of children, and domestic abuse offences.

The court heard he preyed on women and girls in West Lothian between 2015 and 2022. Detective Inspector Adrian Ure, of Police Scotland's National Child Abuse Investigation Unit, spoke out after his conviction.

He said: "John McKechnie's offending and behaviour was appalling. He showed complete and utter contempt for the abuse he inflicted upon his victims, and the horrific sexual abuse featuring in the images and videos he was viewing.

"There is no hiding place for these offenders, and as a result of our investigation, he will now rightly face the consequences of his actions. Any form of child sexual abuse is a serious criminal offence and is a priority for Police Scotland.

"We encourage anyone with concerns about a child at risk of abuse, or a potential victim, to contact police immediately." McKechnie is due to be sentenced for the offences next month

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A pervert florist committed a sex attack on a teenager at a hotel after she attended a Calvin Harris concert.

Kaeleb Thomas, 21, pounced on the then 19-year-old at Glasgow city centre's Jury's Inn on July 3 2022.

The victim had been at the Hampden Park gig with her friend before she met up with Thomas and his friend, who she knew, at the hotel room.

Court papers state Thomas sexually assaulted the teenager by repeatedly placing his hand underneath her shorts.

Thomas, of Livingston, West Lothian, went on to touch her inappropriately over her underwear.

He then touched her legs, sat astride her and kissed her on the neck.

On two occasions Thomas performed a sex act on her.

Thomas was found guilty on Tuesday by a jury of the single charge at Glasgow Sheriff Court.

Alan Jackson, defending, told the court that his client is a first offender who has worked as a florist for two years.

Sheriff Tony Kelly said: "You were convicted of a serious charge which puts you at risk of custody in light of its seriousness."

Sentence was deferred pending background reports until next month.

Thomas is now subject to sex offenders requirements and was granted bail meantime.

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A 'despicable' sex beast who abused two females in West Lothian has been jailed for six years.

Kyle Sievewright, 20, was found guilty of eight offences, including rape, committed between 2019 and 2022 at the High Court in Livingston on January 17.

Today, Sievewritght received his sentence of six years in prison and a further three years extended sentence at the High Court in Edinburgh.

Detective Constable David Bryce said: “Kyle Sievewright subjected the females to violent, sexual attacks over a period of time. He’s been found guilty of these despicable crimes and now faces the consequences.

“I hope today’s sentencing brings some form of justice to these females as they continue to move forward.

“Police Scotland is committed to bringing all perpetrators of sexual crimes to justice, regardless of when it happened. I would urge anyone who wishes to report a sexual crime to contact us. We will always investigate thoroughly and you will receive support from police and partner agencies.”

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A serial paedophile who escaped being caged in April as a result of “soft touch” sentencing guidelines aimed at rehabilitating young offenders has finally lost his liberty – for raping a child.

George Low was remanded in custody for background reports to be prepared after he pleaded guilty at the High Court in Livingston to committing six serious offences against children.

The sexual predator has been warned he is unlikely to escape a significant sentence of detention when he returns to court on January 9 next year .

In addition to raping a girl under the age of 13, Low admitted sexually assaulting a schoolgirl under 13, causing a child to engage in sexual activity and two counts of using threatening behaviour towards a child.

The 20-year-old, from Bathgate, had not-guilty pleas accepted to 10 further charges on the morning his trial by jury was due to start on Friday.

The serial sex offender originally appeared on petition at Livingston Sheriff Court in December 2021 charged with rape and 50 other sexual offences.

Prior to last week’s High Court case, he was prosecuted at Livingston Sheriff Court in April earlier this year for coercing 28 schoolgirls – aged 13 to 16 – to view footage of him performing sex acts before threatening those who refused to reciprocate.

He targeted the youngsters over a three-year period on social media websites such as Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat with his last victim being a 13-year-old girl who he targeted while he was on bail for earlier offences.

Despite offending from the summer of 2018 when he was just 15 years of age until he was 18-and-a-half years old, Sheriff Jane Farquharson chose not to sentence Low to detention because he had already spent the equivalent of a 30-month sentence on remand.

Instead she made him subject to intense social work supervision for three years and told his name would remain on the sex offenders’ register for the same period.

Given the pending High Court prosecution, she warned the accused that he remained at “very high risk of reoffending”.

She told him: “Of particular concern to me in sentencing you is your continued interest in young girls, that it would appear from this charge has persisted into your adulthood.

“Put frankly, as you have got older, the victims of your sexual interest have not aged accordingly.”

Sheriff Farquharson highlighted that Low had been the victim of neglect and a lack of care at home and had experienced domestic abuse, neglect and bereavement as a child.

She added: “You have had an entirely disjointed education, and spent much of your time in and out of foster care. You have not had the benefit of a supportive family or a pro-social group of positive peers.

“I understand that your traumatic childhood is likely to have impacted on your ability to regulate your emotions.

“But you must understand, Mr Low, as difficult as your life has been, that does not excuse your behaviour.”

The sentence imposed on Low was criticised as being too lenient by Scottish Conservative shadow justice secretary Jamie Greene MSP.

He said: “Concerning cases like this once again reaffirm just how ill-advised some sentencing guidelines are in reality.

“They do nothing to assure victims that justice is fully being served, something which SNP ministers seem oblivious to.”

He added: “The SNP government’s soft-touch approach to justice continues to prioritise the criminals over the victims and their families.

“It is vital that the victims are put first, which is why I’ve brought forward my Victims’ Law to Parliament.

“We must ensure that they are always at the heart of our justice system.”

The Low case followed the controversially lenient sentencing of Sean Hogg, who was convicted of raping a 13-year-old girl in a Midlothian park.

Instead of being jailed for four or five years, Hogg was ordered to do 270 hours of unpaid work, put under supervision and had his name added to the sex offenders register for three years.

He benefited from the Scottish Sentencing Council’s guidelines, which came into effect in January 2022, advising against custodial sentences for those under the age of 25, and recommending that judges take into account an offender’s intellectual and emotional maturity.

Hogg, of Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, eventually had his conviction quashed at the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh in October this year.

Judge Lady Dorrian told him: “There was an insufficiency of evidence for a conviction and the inevitable.

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A BRAZEN sex offender nicknamed himself “Amapedo” when he contacted what he thought was a 14-year-old girl online.

However, William Wilson later discovered that “Sophie”, the target of his predatory behaviour, was actually a fake identity set up by a paedophile hunter group, a court heard.

After making disgusting requests of the decoy “schoolgirl” and sending her indecent images of himself he was confronted by members of the Wolfpack group at his home in West Lothian from where video of his confession was streamed live on Facebook.

Wilson, 51, from Kirknewton, pleaded guilty on Monday to attempting to communicate indecently with a person he believed was an under-age girl.

He attempted to cause her to participate in sexual activity and asking her to photograph of the genitals of a seven year-old girl and send the image to him for the purposes of obtaining sexual gratification or of humiliating, distressing or alarming her.

Christine Brownlie, prosecuting, told Livingston Sheriff Court that the fake profile picture posted on the website Meet24 around 20 March 2022 was of a young white girl aged 12-14. She said it was clear that the photo was of someone under the age of 18.

Within a few hours of setting up the account it was contacted by Wilson, calling himself 'Amapedo' and stating "I like you”, quickly followed by explicit messages.

The decoy replied as Sophie telling the accused that she was 14 years old and from Birmingham.

'Amapedo' then sent Sophie a message stating: "I just love young girls your age. Any pics of you in your school uniform with skirt? Can I see?"

When she replied that she didn't think she had any pictures he asked, "Any of you with your legs open?"

The decoy told 'Amapedo’ that she didn't have pictures like that on her phone, but she was then asked if she had a younger sister and if she did would she be willing to provide a picture for him.

The accused asked to take the conversation to WhatsApp, and the decoy provided a phone number and told the user to add her on WhatsApp, but rather than communicating via WhatsApp, she received a phone call from someone asking to speak to Sophie then began to receive text messages.

Two days later further contact was made with the profile Sophie on Meet24 with someone using the username Grampa70, who also turned out to be the accused.

The user Grampa70 also sent her explicit messages.

The child profile was thereafter contacted by a user also identifying themselves as Grampa70 on the app Meet4u and she asked him to confirm the last 4 digits of his phone number to confirm it was the same person.

Wilson did so and again sent her sexual messages in which he asked if she could take pictures of her seven-year-old sister due to having "a big thing for young girls".

Following this the user Grampa70 told to her to forget it and asked her to delete his number.

Details of the chat between the decoy and Wilson were passed on to the West Lothian Wolfpack paedophile hunting group, as was the accused’s home address.

At about 7.30pm the same day three members of the group – one woman and two men – knocked on Wilson’s door and the woman streamed his reaction live on Facebook.

When she informed Wilson she was at his address because of his online activity he replied “Aye, aye” and invited them in.

Police were contacted and screen shots of the messages and images sent by the accused were handed to them.

They also watched the video stream which showed the accused sitting within his living room admitting to communicating indecently with who he believed to be a child aged 14 years old.

The accused was cautioned and charged and replied: “I’m sorry, I don’t know what else to say.” He later added: “Yes, I done it. I put my hands in the air.”

Sheriff Susan Craig called for a background report before sentence, warned Wilson that he may face a custodial sentence and added his name to the sex offenders’ register.

She said he would be told the length of time he would remain subject to notification requirements when he returned to be sentenced on 14 September.

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A high-risk sex offender who attacked women and children for more than three decades - and blamed one child for "seducing" him - has been handed a life sentence.

Kevin Scott was convicted of 10 offences, including violent assaults, rape, indecent communication and sexual activity with an older child he met online, abduction, and domestic abuse.

The 54-year-old's catalogue of crimes occurred between 1985 and 2021 in the West Lothian, Clackmannanshire, and Dumfries and Galloway areas.

He was sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh on Wednesday.

Lady Haldane said the crimes against his child victims were "particularly disturbing".

The court heard Scott continues to deny any wrongdoing.

Referring to one young victim, Lady Haldane said to Scott: "You, of course, did not consider what happened between you to be abuse, as you regarded yourself as in a relationship with [the victim], although she was only a child at the time, and vulnerable in a number of respects.

"Indeed, you blamed her for seducing you.

"You are unable to recognise your grooming and abusive behaviour for what it really was, and this pattern emerges in your attitude to your other offending."

The judge imposed an Order for Lifelong Restriction and ordered he must serve a six-and-a-half year prison sentence before being eligible to seek parole to be released on licence.

Scott has also been added to the sex offenders' register indefinitely.

A Criminal Justice Social Work report concluded that Scott was a "high risk" to intimate partners and children.

Lady Haldane said: "Your profile is one of psychopathy driven by a traumatic childhood and anxiety.

"You demonstrate no insight into your behaviours or their effect on others."

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A former PSCO has been jailed for six years after child abuse images were found on his phone.

William Redwood, 24, of Boghall Drive, West Lothian, pleaded guilty to making, taking and distribution of indecent images of children and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

He was sentenced at Guildford Crown Court on 28 April.

Surrey Police said he met all of his victims before becoming a PCSO in Runnymede in 2019.

The images were discovered when his phone was seized, after his supervisor raised concerns that Redwood had accessed confidential information without a legitimate purpose.

His victims were aged between 12 and 17, and were both male and female.

Deputy Chief Constable Nev Kemp said: "This case has had a devastating impact on the victims involved and I commend them for their bravery in providing us with statements which led to him pleading guilty at an earlier hearing.

"I hope all those affected by his abhorrent criminal actions can take some comfort in the fact that he is now behind bars and that it gives them some closure.

"It is extremely regrettable that Redwood had the privilege of serving as a PCSO with Surrey Police."

Redwood faced 37 charges, 34 of which related to offences involving causing or inciting children to engage in sexual activity.

The remaining three related to making indecent images of children.

A sexual harm prevention order was made against Redwood and he has also been barred from working with children.

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A man has been convicted of sexual offences and animal cruelty offences in the West Lothian and Forth Valley areas.

Kevin Vivers, 56, was found guilty of 27 charges at the High Court in Livingston today (1 November, 2022) including rapes, sexual assaults and physical abuse of seven women between 1985 and 2020.

Vivers is due to be sentenced next month and he will be placed in the sex offenders register.

Detective Chief Inspector Steven McMillan said: "I hope the outcome at court can bring some comfort to his victims and their families.

"This conviction has only been possible due to the bravery and courage of those who came forward to report this horrific abuse and I commend and thank them for speaking out.

"This was a particularly difficult case due to the horrendous nature of Vivers’ crimes and the sickening animal abuse, which spanned several decades.

"I would encourage anyone who is experiencing or has experienced abuse to come forward and report it to police.

"All reports of abuse and sexual assaults, regardless of the passage of time, will be thoroughly investigated by Police Scotland and victims will be supported throughout.”

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A perverted partner sexually assaulted his sleeping girlfriend after she refused to have sex with him, a court heard.

James Skelton had sent his victim a message earlier pleading with her, Livingston Sheriff Court was told.

That weekend the young woman went to bed alone, leaving Skelton talking to her nieces and their mum who were staying over in their home.

Roshni Joshi, prosecuting, said the accused's girlfriend had fallen asleep in their bed on her right-hand side as normal, but at 3am she stirred and went to turn around.

When she woke up she was on her left-hand side and the accused’s right arm was over her side.

She was then sexually assaulted.

“She shouted at the accused: ‘What the f**k are you doing?’ She did not see him but could hear him saying: ‘I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry!’ She left the room.”

Miss Joshni said the woman was aware of her phone vibrating as it received messages that night but did not look at them until later the same day.

The texts included messages from Skelton who told her: “I’m so, so, so f*****g sorry. I thought you were awake. I feel quite sick right now.

“You moved your hand out of the way and made a few noises. I’m so ff*****g sorry.”

A later message read: “You know I wouldn’t do anything like that without your consent.”

Skelton's victim told her aunt the next day what he had done and Skelton handed himself into police but on legal advice gave a 'no comment' interview.

Skelton, 26, of Bathgate, West Lothian, pleaded guilty on Monday to sexually penetrating his former girlfriend at an address in West Lothian on 30 August while she was asleep and incapable of giving or withholding consent.

He admitted that the offence was aggravated by involving abuse of a partner or former partner.

Sheriff Douglas Kinloch ordered that his name be added to the sex offenders’ register with immediate effect and adjourned the case until 4 November for a criminal justice social work report to be prepared before sentencing.

He told Skelton: “I’m not going to pass sentence today because as a matter of law I have to obtain a background report before sentence is passed.

“You must also as a matter of law be placed on the sex offenders’ register in relation to this case and the length of time you’ll remain on the register will be decided when sentence is actually passed.”

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Police Scotland acknowledges the sentence given to a man who was found guilty of sexual offences in the Highlands, Dundee and West Lothian over a 13-year period.

Daniel Fuller, 38, was convicted of seven charges last month and was remanded in custody.

He was sentenced today (Friday, 16 September) at the High Court in Aberdeen to 12 years imprisonment, with a further three years on licence, as well as being added to the sex offender register indefinitely.

Detective Inspector Jennifer Priestley said: "We welcome the sentencing of Daniel Fuller, who has shown himself to be a predatory and dangerous man having committed such terrible crimes against his victims.

“It is thanks to the courage of the women who came forward that he has now been found guilty of his crimes and the cruelty of his behaviour has been exposed.

“I would encourage anyone who has been the victim of abuse to come forward and report it.

“Police Scotland takes all reports of abuse seriously and we will carry out a thorough investigation no matter how long ago these incidents took place.”

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Alexander Thomson, 42, subjected his victims to a catalogue of barbaric abuse across a seven year period in West Lothian between 2012 and 2019.

A serial Scots rapist who reigned terror on four women may never be freed from prison and will be monitored for the rest of his life.

Alexander Thomson, 42, subjected his victims to a catalogue of barbaric abuse across a seven year period in West Lothian between 2012 and 2019.

His crimes included rape, knocking the teeth from one of his victims and burning her body with cigarettes. Another awoke to find Thomson had placed a plastic bag over her head to restrict her breathing.

Thomson stood before the High Court in Glasgow today, convicted of 17 charges involving the abuse of four former partners including charges of assault, abduction and 10 counts of rape. Two victims who suffered at the hands of Thomson sadly died before he faced trial.

Their evidence was heard with statements read by one of the investigating officers in the case, which contributed to Thomson being found guilty. He was handed an Order of Lifelong Restriction and sentenced to a minimum of four years in prison before he is eligible for parole.

He was further given a lifetime Non Harassment Order, preventing him approaching or contacting his victims.

Scotlands head Procurator Fiscal for High Court Sexual Offences, Fraser Gibson, said: Alexander Thomsons offending brutalised and bullied women who trusted him. He betrayed their trust in the most despicable manner. It is extremely sad that two of his victims did not live to see Thomson brought to justice.

"We are grateful for the evidence they provided in their determination that he be held to account and to the other two women who bravely spoke out. The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service is committed to the rigorous pursuit of justice. Our prosecutors will utilise all evidence available in this process.

We would urge any victim or witness of similar offending to come forward, report it and seek help.

Earlier, we told how the officer reading testimonies from the two victims who had sadly passed away said they had deserved to have their voices heard from beyond the grave.

Detective Sergeant Aisling Corduff, who read their statements from the witness box, told the Record: " It is not something that happens very often but I believe it had a huge impact on the case. They couldnt speak but I had sat and listened to them and I knew their voices. I formed relationships with these women, spent hours with them.

Bernie Laing, 30, died in July 2020, before Thomsons trial and her mum Margaret blames him for her death.

DS Corduff said: I felt proud to be reading their words aloud for them because I knew how much it meant to them and to Bernies mother. I felt like they deserved to be heard.

Thomson was arrested for his heinous crimes on December 12, 2019.

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Myles Allan, 44, snapped two images and two video clips of the womans thighs while she sat at her desk in an office in West Lothian.

Allan - who had a short stint in charge of Berwick Rangers - claimed he had taken the pictures accidentally by brushing his hand against his phone in July 2019.

But he was found guilty of a voyeurism charge following a trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court earlier this year and sentence had been deferred

Allan, from Dunfermline, returned to the dock to hear Sheriff Graham Primrose QC state that he had committed a serious offence within the workplace.

The sheriff said: You were found guilty after trial of the offence of voyeurism.

I noted during the trial the complainer herself stated she did not consider there to be a sexual element to the offence.

Instead she considered against the background of you being reprimanded about your performance that day that the taking of the images were designed to humiliate her rather than to provide you with sexual gratification

Allan was placed on the Sex Offenders Register and a supervision order for nine months and also ordered to pay his victim 400 in compensation.

Allan started his football management career at Burntisland Shipyard and Dundonald before moving on to Sauchie and Rosyth Juniors.

He then joined Berwick Rangers as a first team scout in 2016 and was later promoted to first team coach.

After leaving the Shielfield Park outfit Allan, a married father-of-two, was appointed to the coaching staff team at Jeanfield Swifts womens team in March 2019.

During the trial, the football coach admitted taking the pictures following an argument between him and his boss but said he had immediately deleted them.

He was caught out after copies of the images were uploaded from his phone to his work laptop through the iCloud function.

He was then sacked from the firm soon after and after handing back his computer equipment a ex-colleague subsequently found the images stored within a folder on the laptop.

Allans former manager, who cannot be identified, told the court she was made aware of the images and had felt disgusted and humiliated on viewing them.

She said: They [the images] were taken of the top of my thighs when I was wearing a dress. My legs are under my desk and showing my underwear.

When my colleague showed me I was shocked and I was in disbelief it was there. I felt disgusted, humiliated and very angry.

How could he think it was as acceptable to do that? I felt physically sick at what I should do.

I trusted him and I felt betrayed.

After contacting her husband the woman called in the police and Allan was subsequently arrested and charged.

Allan was found guilty of operating equipment beneath the clothing of a woman with the intention or enabling himself or others to observe her genitals, buttocks or underwear and did position a mobile phone and take two photos and two videos showing the legs and underwear of the woman at a premises in West Lothian on July 16, 2019.

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A mental health nurse who sexually assaulted a vulnerable patient while working at a psychiatric hospital has been spared a jail sentence.

Richard McLellan attacked the woman while she was being treated for a mental disorder at the capital’s Royal Edinburgh Hospital in 2019.

McLellan, 38, was found to have engaged in sexual activity with the woman by placing his hand underneath her underwear while he worked a nightshift at the city hospital.

McLellan denied the allegations against him but was found guilty by a jury following a three day trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last month.

The jury found McLellan not guilty of charges including making sexual comments to the woman, touching her genitals and inducing the woman to perform oral sex on him.

The disgraced staff nurse has since been sacked from NHS Lothian and he is due to appear in front of a Nursing and Midwifery Council disciplinary panel in the near future.

A spokesperson for NHS Lothian said they wanted to “extend our full sympathies to the victim in this distressing case”.

McLellan returned to the dock for sentencing on Friday where Sheriff Donald Corke told him he had been “convicted by the jury of an offence of sexual breach of trust of a mental disordered person”.

The sheriff said: “This behaviour was a gross breach of trust by you. You were the complainer’s key worker and you were tasked that night to keep her safe.

“Instead you took the opportunity to engage in sexual activity. You have expressed no remorse for what you did.

“You should be in no doubt custody is an option. [However] I am willing to impose a community payback order as a direct alternative to custody.”

McLellan, from Bathgate, West Lothian, was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for three years and ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work in the community.

He was placed under the supervision of the social work department for three years and handed a conduct requirement that bans him from contacting the victim.

His name will also be forwarded to Scottish Ministers for inclusion on the list of those banned from working with children or vulnerable people in the future.

Defending Advocate Mr Kennedy said his client continues to deny the offence but is “accepting of the jury’s decision”.

He added: “The consequences of this conviction for Mr McLellan are both personally and professionally devastating.

“He has been dismissed from his employment and he will be sanctioned from his professional body where he will submit to further humiliation and disgrace by that.”

Tracey McKigen, Services Director for the Royal Edinburgh and Associated Services at NHS Lothian, said: “We extend our full sympathies to the victim in this distressing case.

“Whilst we can’t comment on individual members of staff, current or former, we want to offer reassurance that as soon as we become aware of a serious criminal allegation, we will take immediate and robust action in the interests of patient safety, which is always our top priority.”

McLellan was found guilty of being a person who provided care services to a mental disordered person and did engage in sexual activity with them and did place his hand underneath her underwear at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital on January 21, 2019.