Latest Offenders Angus

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An Arbroath pensioner has been found guilty of sexually touching a woman and a girl at a Christmas function.

Keith Clark was placed on the sex offenders register after being found guilty of inappropriate touching at the festive bash which had been booked to take place in a masonic hall in Monifieth.

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A paedophile oil worker, caught after cybercrime investigators discovered he was using his home wifi at St Cyrus to share sickening content online, has been jailed.

Alan Moir, 43, was given a four-year term by judge Lady Haldane at the High Court in Edinburgh on Tuesday.

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A sex offender who is subject to stringent conduct requirements was caught with pornography on his phone after making a drunken “nuisance” of himself at Tesco in Montrose.

Aaron Ryan must not possess devices capable of accessing the internet without permission as part of a seven-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) imposed in 2021.

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A Brechin paedophile caught in simultaneous stings told undercover police posing as a schoolgirl of his desire to take her to a Premier Inn, pretending she was his daughter and ply her with cider.

Sick Scott Strachan appeared at Forfar Sheriff Court to be sentenced after admitting trying to communicate indecently with two children.

His worrying messages on Kik Messenger and Snapchat apps were actually sent to English police officers.

Strachan, who has since lost his job, has been placed on the sex offenders register and under supervision.

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A pensioner has been placed on the sex offenders register after he indecently assaulted a 17-year-old girl outside an Inverbervie chip shop.

Kenneth Middleton, 69, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court where he admitted touching the girl on the breast after uttering inappropriate comments.

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Child abuse videos were found after an Angus man’s partner tried to remind him about a Covid test before a festival visit.

Luke Walker’s former partner discovered a secret mobile phone that contained discussions in a group chat about abuse material.

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An Angus paedophile collected sick child abuse images “like they were stickers for a Panini football album.”

A sheriff compared Grant Ross to a sticker or stamp collector for the way he downloaded and stored images of infants as young as two being sexually abused.

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A sozzled sex pest dropped his trousers and flashed at two skateboarding secondary school pupils in an Angus park.

Drunk Dariusz Niklewicz flashed the boys, who cannot be named for legal reasons, at Archie’s Park in Forfar.

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Former Coronation Street actress Imogen Boorman has been placed on the sex offenders register after admitting to a series of offences including public indecency and theft of alcohol.

The 52 year old mum-of-three, who played Vanessa Morgan in the popular ITV soap during the 1990s, was arrested last May following a drunken incident at the Picture House pub in Montrose, Scotland, where she resides.

Boorman, who also starred in Hellbound: Hellraiser II, Casualty and Lovejoy, pleaded guilty to seven charges in total and is set to be sentenced in April.

The court heard that Boorman entered the pub around 10pm and stripped naked after simply smiling when asked for her order. She then climbed onto the bar, lay down and began drinking directly from the beer taps.

It was reported that while lying on the bar, she took a man's hands and placed them on her bare chest, sexually assaulting him before spraying his face with a draught juice gun. Boorman then moved to the dining area of the pub where she attempted to pull down the same man's trousers in a sexual manner.

Four police officers were sent to a pub where a drunken woman was causing trouble. Two female officers tried to help her get dressed again. The court heard that when she got to the police station in Dundee, she hurt one of the officers by grabbing her arm, which caused scratches and redness.

Boorman had drunk or spilled alcohol worth 321.86. She admitted stealing alcohol from the bar, behaving in a threatening or abusive manner and public indecency. She also pleaded guilty to charges of assaulting and sexually assaulting the customer and resisting police and assaulting a PC, reports The Mirror.

Boorman's lawyer said she felt very embarrassed and sorry for what she had done. But he said she was now doing better and was being treated for a condition called complex PTSD.

The judge said he would decide what to do about Boorman on April 2. He told Boorman: "I can see you hung your head as that narrative was being read out. No doubt it tortures you to have to appear and listen to what was your behaviour back then. I'm very delighted to hear from your solicitor that you have made significant progress in addressing the alcohol issue that was no doubt behind these extraordinary, bizarre events."

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A Tayside paedophile has narrowly avoided prison after admitting having vile pornography featuring dogs and horses.

Rhys Falconer previously pled guilty to possessing indecent images of children and extreme porn.

The 27-year-old admitted having the child abuse images for a period of four-and-a-half years between November 2019 and May last year, when his home in Ferryden was raided by police.

Falconer, who returned to the dock this week for sentencing, was spared jail but was placed on the sex offenders register for two years.

Withdrawn

His solicitor Nick Markowski told the court his client has separated from his partner.

“He’s in full time employment as a barman and he’s appearing as a first offender,” he said.

“In relation to the offences, he gives an explanation for the offences being committed.

“Multiple factors – social isolation, mental health issues, the breakdown of his relationship, withdrawing, a lack of friends and withdrawing into the internet.

“He is suggesting that he became addicted to pornography and was seeking more extreme and explicit content.”

Mr Markowski said: “Regarding the offending, he is ashamed and embarrassed by his behaviour and is regretful and remorseful of his actions.

“He is aware that this sort of offending created a demand.

“He has been advised that the court will view the matters as serious, notwithstanding the lack of record.

“The court will be considering a custodial sentence.”

Sentenced

Sheriff Paul Brown placed Falconer under supervision for two years and also granted forfeiture of his two devices.

The sheriff ordered him to complete 300 hours of unpaid work – the maximum amount available – within a year.

He also imposed a string of strict conduct requirements.

Falconer must not contact anyone under 16 without prior approval and furthermore have no contact at all with known sex offenders.

He is also to use no encryption, incognito tabs or private browsing, he must not clear his search history and his devices can be inspected at any time.

The sheriff said: “These are serious offences.

“I have listened to everything that has been said on your behalf.

“The report tells me you have insight, you are remorseful and that you have some understanding of how you ended up in this situation.

“I will warn you right now that this is an alternative to custody.

“If this comes back to me in any way, shape or form, you can expect imprisonment.”

Offending

Fiscal depute Lee Corr previously told Dundee Sheriff Court police obtained a warrant to raid Falconer’s home in May 2022.

On the final day of the month, they traced then-unemployed Falconer at his partner’s home at 9.35am.

He was taken to his property in Bellvue Terrace, Ferryden, for it to be searched and police seized an iPhone and iPad.

Analysis uncovered 33 child abuse files.

Five of the files were categorised as being the most graphic kind.

Mr Corr explained all showed girls between the ages of four and 15.

Another nine illicit images were uncovered and found to be “extreme” pornography, depicting adults engaged in sexual activity with dogs and horses.

Later that day, Falconer was cautioned and charged but told police he did not understand the charge.

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An army veteran plied a 12-year-old girl with cigarettes and alcohol and repeatedly molested her at remote locations around Kirriemuir.

Sinister John Tervet lured the youngster to secluded spots with promises of alcohol, sent her sexual images of his crotch and boxer shorts and told her: Come alone.

The horrific abuse continued for five months, until the girl plucked up the courage to tell her family.

Tervet, 58, denied any wrongdoing and told police his victim vengefully made up allegations because he refused to buy her drink for a party.

Following a week-long trial at Forfar Sheriff Court, a jury rejected Tervets claims and found him guilty of a series of sex crimes against the youngster.

He was also convicted of sexually assaulting an adult woman two years earlier.

After returning their verdict, jurors were applauded by the girls family, who said in a statement afterwards: We have been fighting for this for the last six years. Today weve finally got the decision we wanted but it shouldnt have had to take so long.

Tervets conviction was partly secured by a written statement read out during the trial from the girls mother, who died before the case came to court.

Tervet in the words of his young victim, a total weirdo was convicted of sexually assaulting her several times at secluded spots around Kirriemuir, including a lay-by near Caddam Woods.

He kissed her on the lips, touched her breasts over her clothing, lowered her trousers and underwear and kissed her on the body.

The abuse all carried out in silence began in January 2017 and continued until May that year.

Tervet was further found guilty of intentionally meeting the then 12-year-old and trying to engage her in unlawful sexual activity.

He sent her sexual messages and culpably and recklessly supplied her with cigarettes and alcohol.

Tervet was also found guilty of twice sexually assaulting a Kirriemuir woman who had employed him as her gardener in the summer of 2015.

The court heard Tervets young victim was the daughter of a family friend. The teenager said he forced himself on her five times.

Letford told jurors: She was 12 years old when this conduct started. And it continued after her 13th birthday, until she eventually told her brother and mother.

When asked why she did not report the abuse sooner, the victim now 19 said she was scared and did not want Tervet to get into trouble. But she confronted him and he told her he would stop. He did not stop, said Mr Letford.

In a statement read out by witness PC Amy Donaldson, the victims mother told investigators how she initially trusted Tervet.

He used to take her daughter out in his car, she said. However, she was concerned her little girl looked flushed in the face when she returned.

She later challenged Tervet after her daughter told her what had been going on and demanded to know: What have you been doing with my daughter in the woods?

Tervet denied he had touched the girl and said he never used Snapchat.

When his then wife found a Snapchat account attached to his email address, he said: Someone must have hacked me.

Tervet, of Sidlaw Range, Kirriemuir, shook his head in apparent disbelief when the jury returned its verdict.

Sheriff Krista Johnston placed Tervet on the sex offenders register and deferred sentence for background reports. He was released on bail.

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A notorious north-east paedophile has been locked up for nearly four years after he was caught messaging a schoolgirl for sex and downloading indecent images of infants.

David Scott, also known as Ritchie, was found to be buying alcohol and disposable vapes for the 14-year-old, who he met up with in secret over a six-month period.

Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard that Scott – who was made subject to the sex offenders register for 10 years in 2017 – sourced a mobile phone for the teenager so he could communicate with her secretly on Snapchat.

In one sickening message he asked her if she would carry out a sex act on him in exchange for £10.

A subsequent police raid on the 26-year-old’s home unearthed a secret mobile phone that he used to download almost 1,300 indecent images and videos of children – most of which were of the most serious category.

The illicit phone was found to contain footage of children who were only months old, the court heard.

Scott was previously jailed when he breached his Sex Offences Prevention Order by befriending a woman and posing for selfies with her 11-year-old daughter at a foodbank.

Accused passed on child images

Fiscal depute Lucy Simpson told the court that in May last year police received information that Scott had been using a mobile telephone to communicate with children.

Officers raided Scott’s home on David Street, Inverbervie, on November 4 2022 where they found an iPhone in a black bag, which appeared to be hidden inside an envelope.

An examination of the phone found it contained 177 Category A images and 589 Category A videos.

A total of 208 Category B images and videos and 308 Category C images and videos were also found on the phone.

The children featured in the indecent material were between several months and 15 years of age.

Cybercrime officer determined the total runtime of the video content to be 52 hours, 26 minutes and 39 seconds.

It was also established that Scott had distributed the images and videos to other people.

Ms Simpson also told the court that in January 2022, Scott messaged a 14-year-old girl on Snapchat using the name “Maddie Smith”.

The teenager didn’t know who Maddie was but accepted the friend request.

Scott told the girl he knew someone who could source disposable vapes for her, which she agreed to.

The child was given the contact details of a different Snapchat account, which displayed the name “dave” and had a cartoon image of a male with ginger hair. The account was operated by Scott.

He then provided the teenager with a mobile phone so they could communicate and met up with her over the next six months and the teenager was given vapes and alcohol.

During the phone messages, Scott told the girl she was “cute, beautiful, adorable, sweet, kind and gorgeous”.

He also told the 14-year-old she didn’t “need any make-up because you are so adorable” and if she were to use make-up she would be “covering up her true beauty”.

Scott added that the girl she needed “to find someone who will show you you’re worth everything and will love you for you”.

Around this time, Scott sent the girl a message on Snapchat offering her £10 if she carried out a sex act on him, which she rejected.

Messaged second child on Instagram

A further analysis of Scott’s iPhone unearthed an Instagram conversation that he had on August 20 last year with someone who claimed to be just 11 years old.

During these conversations, Scott asked the child if they were “horny” or “a top or bottom”, alongside other explicit questions.

These charges constituted a breach of Scott’s Sexual Offences Prevention Order on three separate occasions.

Appearing in the dock, Scott, whose address was given as HMP Grampian, pleaded guilty to one charge of breaching his order by possessing a mobile phone and a second charge of communicating with a child under the age of 16.

He also admitted third charge of knowingly deleting files and messages from a prohibited phone.

In a second indictment, Scott pleaded guilty to one charge of downloading indecent images of children and a second charge of distributing indecent images of children.

He also admitted sending a sexual communication to a child under the age of 16.

‘Determined to continue offending’

Scott’s defence solicitor Leonard Birkenshaw that his client had been subject to the sex offenders register for “some considerable time” and had “significantly struggled with that”.

“Mr Scott has to accept that he did do what is alleged he has done,” he said.

“What he was doing was buying vapes and alcohol – nothing was going on apart from that – but it is inappropriate.

“He has got himself in a position where he is on and out and in and out of jail.”

Sentencing Scott, Sheriff Graham Buchanan described his actions as “quite a catalogue of offending in circumstances where you have a poor record for matters of a sexual nature”.

“It’s clear that you’re just determined to continue offending,” he said.

Telling Scott that “only a substantial period of imprisonment was appropriate”, the sheriff sentenced him to 47 months in prison and placed him on the sex offenders register for life.

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A graduate who raped four women was jailed yesterday but given a shorter sentence because of his age. 

Logan Doig, 23, was locked up for nine and a half years at the High Court in Glasgow for a series of attacks at a university and in halls of residence. 

But the judge said he had reduced the term due to sentencing guidelines on young people. 

Doig struck between March 2015 and November 2020. 

Three of the rape victims and a fifth woman were subjected to other sexual attacks. 

The offences took place in Forfar and Kirriemuir, Angus, as well as a property in Dundee. 

One woman was violently attacked at Queen Margaret University, East Lothian, and raped in the student halls. 

Doig, of Kirriemuir, committed all the offences while aged between 15 and 21. A jury last month found him guilty of 12 offences including five rape charges. 

Yesterday, he was given a 12-and-a-half-year extended sentence by Lord Clark, including nine-and-a-half behind bars, and put on the sex offenders' register. But the judge said he had given Doig a shorter sentence than would have gone to an older offender due to the guidelines. 

These say under-25s should receive lesser sentences as they lack maturity and understanding for their actions. 

The judge added: 'I say you present a level of risk to the safety of women which makes an extended sentence necessary for the safety of the public. You were aged between 15 and 21 and I have to give careful consideration to the guidelines on sentencing young people.' 

It comes after a rape victim, 17, told how her alleged attacker escaped justice under SNP-backed diversion from prosecution rules which meant his case was not taken to court and referred to social workers instead. 

Scottish Tory justice spokesman Russell Findlay said: 'The guidelines seek to make excuses for the worst types of criminality with absolutely no consideration for the victims.' 

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An 82-year-old swimming pool pervert is behind bars after being found guilty of molesting two young girls in Angus.

Michael Haugh was convicted at Dundee Sheriff Court of two charges of molesting young girls — on one occasion at Arbroath Swimming Pool — and taking and possessing hundreds of images of child abuse.

The octogenarian had denied performing a sex act on an 10-year-old girl following a period of grooming, which included buying her presents and taking her swimming, on various dates between 2014 and 2017.

He touched her buttocks and thighs, kissed her on the mouth and squeezed her breasts at locations including Arbroath Sports Centre.

He carried out penetrative sex acts on her.

He had tried to engage a second young girl – then aged 14 – in sexual activity at his home in Letham, Angus.

He made her wear a dress, grabbed her breast while she went to the toilet, and tried to take pictures of her in a “state of undress” between early 2010 and the end of 2011.

First offender Haugh, who walks with the aid of a stick, was told to expect a custodial sentence after a jury of nine women and five men found him guilty.

Conspiracy claims

The paedophile tried to claim the girls were conspiring against him.

He went on to say he was convinced his youngest victim had been “coached” by the older one on what to say.

Haugh claimed his youngest victim was a “troubled child” and could not recall any incident at Arbroath Leisure Centre.

Depute fiscal Sarah Wilkinson challenged his claims as “outlandish”.

The jury took less than four hours to determine his guilt.

Tried to clean computer drive

The jury also found him guilty of possessing and producing indecent images of children on his computer, again at his home address, between August 2012 and October 2019.

During the trial, the court heard how police experts found the depraved pictures on his computer.

Haugh had tried to use software to wipe his hard drive.

He claimed he used CC Cleaner on a regular basis to keep his computer in working order but it was used only once in 2019 — the day following a police visit in which they informed him he was under investigation.

Sheriff Paul Brown deferred sentence until July 27, for reports to be prepared and a restriction of liberty assessment to be carried out.

An application for bail was refused.

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A 61-year-old Angus man must pay thousands to compensate women he molested on a farm near Dundee when they were girls.

Derek Strachan targeted the two girls, then aged just seven and eight, over a three-month period in 1984.

Strachan, of Woodside near Kirriemuir, was employed as a farm hand when he carried out the assaults.

His victims only recently came to the police and reported his crimes.

Having previously admitted behaving in a lewd, indecent and libidinous manner, Strachan returned to Dundee Sheriff Court to be sentenced.

‘He was particularly immature’

Strachan’s solicitor Kris Gilmartin said: “I would suggest that there is an alternative to a custodial disposal.

“He has no previous convictions and no subsequent convictions.

“He is assessed as being low risk of reoffending.

“It is a peculiar case.

“He was particularly immature. He was less able to exercise good judgement.

“There’s a clear lack of consequential thinking.”

Mr Gilmartin said Strachan had a “relatively unremarkable” childhood and despite leaving school with good qualifications, moved into fruit picking due to struggling socially.

He explained his regretful and remorseful client has had access to children since and has never acted this way again.

“He’s lived with this for 40 years. It’s an isolated situation.”

Sentenced

Sheriff Gregor Murray ordered Strachan to pay each victim £6,600 in compensation.

Strachan will be supervised for three years and spend the same amount of time on the Sex Offenders Register.

He must also complete 200 hours of unpaid work, reduced from the maximum sentence because of his early plea.

A condition Strachan must complete the Moving Forward: Making Changes project to rehabilitate sex offenders was also imposed.

The sheriff said the harm Strachan caused was “long-lasting… permanent… emotional and physical.”

He noted Strachan was considered low-risk, had not offended otherwise and had shown “significant remorse”

The sheriff added: “You’re in a fortunate position where you’re able to pay compensation.”

First victim

Depute fiscal Lora Apostolova previously told the court: “The complainer was seven and sitting on the sofa.

“The accused asked her to kiss him.

“The accused said he was ‘teaching’ her.

“He placed his hand on her private parts.”

She said he then exposed himself to her

“He told her ‘this is our special thing, that we don’t need to tell anyone about’.”

Second complainer

Ms Apostolova continued: “The second complainer was also sitting on a sofa (when she was assaulted).

“He asked when he touched her ‘does that feel nice’?”

She said he committed a sex act in front of her.