Latest Offenders Lanarkshire

Description

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Clelland was placed on the sex offenders' register.

Description

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

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

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

Detective Inspector Bruce Fyfe said:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Description

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

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

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

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

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

Description

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"He is still not the same wee laddie."

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

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

She then told him: "Delete this mind."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Description

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

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

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

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

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

It has since been deemed abandoned.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Description

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

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

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

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

He sent two girls indecent images of himself.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Smith sent a naked image of himself during the conversation.

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

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

He also performed a sex act on the girl.

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

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

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

He sent indecent pictures and videos of himself.

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

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

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

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

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

The father-of-two was suspended.

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

“He appreciates the serious nature of his conduct.”

Smith was put on the sex offenders register.

Description

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

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

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

One woman said she “froze”.

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

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

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

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

The assaults happened between September 2017 and June 2022.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Description

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Description

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

'Unimaginable trauma'

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Description

An award-winning BBC Scotland film director has been banned from using social media after being convicted of sending explicit sexual images of himself to three teenage girls.

Simon Craig, who worked as a writer and director for BBCs The Social under the name Simon Fox, targeted his victims when he was a DJ at under-18s club nights in Edinburgh.

He added the girls, then aged 14 and 15, on social media platforms before going on to send them explicit images of himself and pornographic videos.

A victim, now in her 30s, said: He thought he was untouchable. I doubt were the only vict-ims, Im sure there will be more.

Craig, 41, from Airdrie, Lanarkshire, was convicted of lewd, explicit and libidinous practices and behaviour, at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, towards three victims between February 2005 and July 2007.

Despite his conviction, Craig remained as someone commissioned by the public broadcaster until last week.

His work was listed on their site until we asked them about his criminal past. His profile has since been removed.

In June, Craig was handed a community payback order, placed under supervision for 18 months and banned from social media platforms.

He was snared after a victim came across his photography website. She was so concerned over the images feat-uring kids she reported his crimes against her.

She said: The sentence he has been handed is not nearly enough after what he has done. I met him through Studio 24 when he was in his mid -twenties and I was 14.

He then added me on the Vampire Freaks website and it wasnt long before he started sending me images. It was really disturbing and unsettling. I was a child. I didnt ask for any of it.

He went on to become an award-winning actor, writer and director. He then began working as a freelance photographer and started to work on one with young girls doing photo sessions.

It was when I came across his website I knew I had to come forward. It was full of photographs of young girls in compromising positions and very little clothing.

The positions and poses are uncomfortably suggestive. He is well known in film circles but, in truth, he is a predator.

BBC The Social is a digital platform based in Glasgow that develops creative new talent.

On the BBC Scotland site, his profile, listed under Simon Fox, explained that he began writing at the age of 17 before progressing onto filmmaking.

He has created web content and short films and internet series Met-alhedz was nominated for Best International Comedy at the 2016 Miami Web Fest.

The BBC website stated: Simon continues to write and direct for film and TV, and enjoys photography on the side.

Craig was convicted of sending one of the victims, then 14-years-old, explicit images of himself between February 2005 and 2006.

He was also convicted of repeatedly sending another victim, then aged 15, sexual images of himself and messages of a sexual nature between July 2006 and July 2007.

Craig was also convicted of sending another 15-year-old victim sexualised messages and a pornographic video.

The offences took place at his Musselbrugh home.

A BBC Scotland spokeswoman said: This individual was a former freelance contributor to The Social and we have not worked with him since October 2022. He was contracted under the name Simon Fox, not Craig, and has never been employed as BBC staff.

Description

A 38-year-old man has been jailed for 12 years for a series of sexual and violent offences in the Lanarkshire and Stirlingshire areas.

David Cooper was sentenced today, Friday, 5 July, 2024, at the High Court in Glasgow after previously being convicted on Friday, 10 May.

The offences were committed against four women over a 20-year period between 2002 and 2022.

He has also been sentenced to non-harassment orders against the four women.

Detective Inspector Cheryl Gebbie said: “David Cooper is a dangerous individual who has committed a variety of serious crimes against his victims, subjecting them to sexual abuse and violence.

“We acknowledge how difficult this have been for Cooper’s victims and their families. We hope that his conviction and sentencing will bring them some comfort and our thoughts remain with them.

“We would like to take this opportunity to reach out to any victims of sexual and physical violence to please report it to police. This type of behaviour will not be tolerated and we will continue to work closely with our partner agencies to support victims involved.”

Description

A sex predator has been locked up for a New Year attack on a woman he claimed he thought was his wife of 13 years.

Roddy Kerr struck at his house in Hamilton, Lanarkshire shortly after the bells on January 1, 2020.

The 47-year-old told jurors he had gone into bed in a spare room and "nuzzled" beside who he believed was his wife. Others had been at his home that night for the celebrations, but he reckoned everyone had left by that time.

He went on to intimately touch the person beside him in the bed. Kerr insisted she was awake and "engaging" in what was happening.

But, it emerged it was not his wife, but another woman who had been molested.

Jurors at the High Court in Glasgow heard that Kerr later sent a text to the victim apologising.

Asked at the trial what he was saying sorry for, Kerr stated: "The incident that happened - because I got into bed thinking it was with my wife."

Kerr said he met with the woman a week later to "try and clear the air" and "put it behind us". He recalled: "It was awkward, did not really say much. Silence, but a few words exchanged. Not a lot said."

It was months later that the matter was reported to the police.

In cross examination, prosecutor Alex Sutherland put to Kerr: "You had mistaken your wife of 13 years for this woman? I suggest that is preposterous. It is not true."

Kerr: "No."

Kerr also said he "did not think" he had volunteered to go to the police after what happened.

First offender Kerr was found guilty of sexual assault. Jurors deleted the allegation of attempted rape.

Sentencing had been deferred for background reports.

As Kerr returned to the dock, his lawyer Donna Armstrong said: "He remains married to his wife. She supports him and has done since the commission of the offence."

Judge Kevin McCallum KC said Kerr had "took advantage" of a woman at his home that night.

He stated: "Your actions have had a significant impact on your victim."

The judge said there was no alternative to a prison sentence and locked Kerr up for 14 months.

He was also put on the sex offenders list and hit him with a non-harassment order banning him from approaching the woman for the next 10 years.

Description

A social worker has been jailed for eight years after he was convicted for a series of rapes and sexual assaults.

Thomas Proctor was found guilty of attacking three women in Glasgow, Fife and Lanarkshire between January 2002 and August 2019.

The High Court in Glasgow heard he used his job to prey on the women, as well as threatening to have the children of two of them removed from their care.

The 43-year-old raped one woman while she was recovering in hospital.

He also took advantage of a victim after she drank water with a mystery substance in it.

Proctor, from Airdrie, Lanarkshire, had denied the accusations but jurors found him guilty of a total of 11 charges.

'Simply disgraceful'

The charges against him included the repeated rape and indecent assault of the first woman at different locations in Lanarkshire.

Proctor was found guilty of sexually assaulting the second woman at a flat in Glasgow's Maryhill.

He was also convicted of raping and making threats to a third woman in Fife and Lanarkshire.

Judge William Gallacher imposed an 11-year extended sentence on Proctor, meaning he will be in prison for eight years and under supervision upon his release for three years.

The judge told Proctor his actions were "simply disgraceful."

He added: "It is difficult to figure out the appropriate sentence due to the level of abuse carried out over a period of time.

"I will impose a significant penalty. You will have grasped that because of the gravity of this case, there is only one thing I can do."

After the sentencing, one of Proctor's victims said: "I am really pleased with the judge's reflections of the offences.

"I understand the appropriate length of the sentence however my fear is that it doesn't reflect the number of potential other victims."

An indefinite non-harassment order against Proctor's victims was granted. He was also put on the sex offenders register for an indefinite period.

In his closing speech to jurors, prosecutor Alan Parfery told how Proctor was "calculated in a predatory fashion" towards his victims.

The first woman was raped while she was recuperating in hospital from a medical procedure.

Proctor attacked the woman again at a house in Lanarkshire after he came into the room and pulled down her pyjamas.

The second victim recalled waking up to finding Proctor molesting her.

The final woman got to know Proctor having met him online.

The court heard she ended up in his company after she returned from a night out with friends at the Edinburgh Festival.

She said Proctor gave her a glass of water and they kissed, but her next memory was waking up in some pain.

Prosecutors said he had caused the woman to "ingest an unknown substance in water" to overpower her for sexual activity.

Jurors heard a similar sort of incident happened on two other occasions.

He gave her water, told her to "drink up" before she later awoke and had "flashbacks" to what had happened.

In his closing speech, Mr Parfery said Proctor spoke of his position as a social worker to make sure threats to two of the women "packed a punch".

Referring to one of the victim, the prosecutor put to him: "You told her that you held such a job and how the system worked.

"That she should be intimate with you if she wanted to keep her child. The cruellest of cruel threats."

Proctor denied the accusation adding that he never mentioned his work to "threaten" anyone.

He had latterly been a social worker in the Alloa area in Clackmannanshire before being suspended.

After the case Clackmannanshire Council confirmed Proctor was no longer employed by the local authority.

Description

Conviction in the Murder of Emma Caldwell

A 51-year-old man, Iain Packer, has been found guilty of murdering 27-year-old Emma Caldwell in 2005 and hiding her body. He was convicted at the High Court in Glasgow on Wednesday, February 28, 2024.

Emma was last seen on CCTV around 11 p.m. on Monday, April 4, 2005, walking alone on Butterbiggins Road towards Victoria Road on the south side of Glasgow. She was reported missing by her family on Monday, April 11, 2005. Her body was discovered in Limefield Woods, near Biggar, on Sunday, May 8, 2005.

In addition to the murder conviction, Packer was found guilty of numerous charges involving violent and sexual crimes against several women over many years.

He was sentenced to life in prison and ordered to serve a minimum of 36 years behind bars.

Statement from Assistant Chief Constable Bex Smith

“Emma Caldwell, her family and many other victims, were let down by policing in 2005. For that we are sorry.  

“A significant number of women and girls who showed remarkable courage to speak up at that time also did not get the justice and support they needed and deserved from Strathclyde Police.  

“Police Scotland launched a re-investigation of the case in 2015 after instruction from the Lord Advocate.  

“It is clear that further investigations should have been carried out into Emma’s murder following the initial enquiry in 2005.  

“The lack of investigation until 2015 caused unnecessary distress to her family and all those women who had come forward to report sexual violence.  

“It is the courage, resilience and determination shown by Emma’s family, in particular her parents William and Margaret, and all those who survived Iain Packer’s horrific catalogue of offending that got us to where we are today.  

“William is, sadly, no longer here to see this day, but I hope this verdict gives Margaret and all those affected by this case, the justice they deserve.  

“This was an extremely challenging re-investigation and without doubt the largest police enquiry of recent times in Scotland.  

“Over seven years, a full review of the original enquiry by Strathclyde Police in 2005 was completed.  

“More than 30,000 documents and statements were gathered and reviewed along with in excess of 23,000 productions. New forensic tests were carried out and new witnesses were identified and interviewed, leading to the convictions today.

“As part of the re-investigation a report was also sent to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in relation to the Strathclyde Police investigation.

“Iain Packer was a calculating sexual predator who targeted women over many years. It is hard to comprehend how anyone could carry out such despicable, ruthless acts.  

“He took Emma’s life for his own gratification in the most appalling circumstances and cruelly left her body in remote woods hoping to cover his tracks.  

“But time is no barrier to justice and I would urge anyone who has been the victim of sexual violence to please come forward and speak to us.  

“You will be listened to and you will be supported – no matter when the offences took place.  

“We have reflected and learnt from the initial investigation and subsequent re –investigation.  Significant changes have been made in recent years to improve our organisational culture and our response, particularly in respect of investigative structures, victim care and processes to these types of crimes.  

“Our Violence against Women and Girls Strategy demonstrates our absolute commitment to tackling the violence and abuse that disproportionately affects women and girls.

“What shone through to the enquiry team throughout the investigations into Emma’s life was her gentle personality, and I want to finish by saying that our thoughts remain with Emma, her family and all those affected by this terrible case.”

Description

A man who threatened to share intimate images of young women he met through social media has been jailed for a year.

Scott Smith, 34, messaged three women on Snapchat and struck up conversations before he convinced them to send naked photos to him.

But Smith demanded his victims, who were aged between 15 and 20, send more photos or he would share pictures he already had online.

One victim was left so distressed by his conduct she dropped out of her academic studies.

His offending came to light after police raided his home in Hamilton, Lanarkshire, as part of a separate investigation that discovered a sickening stash of 37 images and 26 videos of children being abused.

Evidence uncovered during the raid showed he had been communicating with the women and threatening them.

Smith appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court and admitted possessing indecent images of children and a breach of the peace between June 2019 and January 2022.

He was blasted by Sheriff John Hamilton KC for his 'manipulative' and 'exploitative' behaviour. The sheriff jailed the first offender and placed him on the sex offenders' register for 10 years and also banned him from contacting his victims for 10 years.

Depute fiscal Scott O'Connor told the court how Smith was caught sending messages to the three women.

He said: "It became apparent he had been communicating with females on Snapchat and the investigation uncovered he had been communicating and requesting images of a sexual nature.

"The complainers thereafter sent images of themselves to the accused, he received the said images and they then received a message stating that he had their nude pictures and had their contacts and social media pages.

"If they failed to send further images of themselves of a sexual nature, he would post them to their contacts and onto their social media profiles.

"On receipt of that message the complainers thereafter contacted the police and they were blocked by the accused and there was no further contact.

"During the investigation the three complainers were identified and it was discovered that one was aged 15 at the time."

Ian Scott, defending, said: "He had a good track record up until this and his concern is that the custodial threshold has been reached but I have done my best to assure him that alternatives do exist and the court has to consider them."

Sheriff Hamilton said: "You were engaging with three separate females on social media and persuaded them, I don't know how, to send images of themselves of a sexual and compromising nature.

"You then effectively blackmailed them by threatening to release them to friends, family and the public at large. Your position is that you pled guilty because your lawyer told you to do so and you have accepted no responsibility whatsoever.

"I accept everything in your life seemed to be going well before but this exploitative and manipulative behaviour cannot be left unmarked."