Published: Wednesday, 19th March, 2008 12:00
Tillicoultry man jailed for abusing young girl
By Court reporter
Print Article
Thomas Turner has been jailed for sexually abusing a young girl.
Pic by: Jan van der Merwe
A 60-YEAR-OLD Tillicoultry man who sexually abused an eight-year-old girl nearly 20 years ago has been locked up for 16 months.
Thomas Turner would sneak into the youngster’s bedroom, tell her to lie down on the edge of the bed and touch her naked private parts.
On other occasions he fondled the girl in her living room and placed her hand on his crotch, all the while telling her to keep the abuse a secret.
Turner, of Mayfield Avenue, carried out the sickening acts on the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, for three years when she was aged between eight and 11 years old.
He appeared at Alloa Sheriff Court on Thursday for sentence, having previously pled guilty to, on various occasions, using lewd, indecent and libidinous practices and behaviour at two addresses in Dollar between October 1989 and February 1993.
At an earlier hearing, fiscal depute Catriona Steele said Turner’s victim kept quiet about the abuse until many years later. However, on one occasion, her mother became suspicious.
She said, “The complainer’s mother saw the accused slip out of the sitting room and followed him due to his suspicious manner.
“As she approached the second floor of the house she saw the accused at her daughter’s bedroom door and told him the bathroom was at the other end of the hall.
“She entered the bedroom and saw the complainer, who was eight, sitting on the edge of her bed.
“A short time later the accused entered the room with his hands in his pockets and said nothing.”
The abuse came to light in 2005 when his victim, now aged 27, eventually told her family as she feared he would abuse another child.
Police were contacted in January last year and Turner admitted the offence during an interview.
Defence agent Mike Chapman said Turner didn’t accept the Crown’s entire narration of the events, claiming he only approached the girl in her bedroom on one occasion.
He said, “He does accept his guilt in relation to the charge but the abuse occurred usually when there were other people in the living room of the house in the parent’s home. The abuse occurred while the accused and victim wore a picnic blanket over them whilst the child’s parents and his wife were in the room.”
He claimed that when the abuse came to light in 2005 Turner offered to go to the police but was told that the victim’s family would deny it if he did.
Mr Chapman went on, “It is important to point out that there was not any force, threats or coercion made to the young victim.
“Whilst he accepts it was a serious matter there was no evidence of distress exhibited by the child at that time, although this is something she has had to carry with her for a number of years.”
He added that his client told the police he considered suicide after the revelations of the abuse and his marriage fell apart.
He went on, “The guilt will haunt him for the rest of his life. It’s fair to say that guilt is felt by him not only for what he did to the child but also the impact these proceedings have had on his wife and son.”
Sentencing Turner, Sheriff D L Murray said, “The protection of children is a matter of specific importance to this court. It is appropriate in these circumstances for a custodial sentence here.”
He ordered that on Turner’s release he be supervised for 12 months and his name be referred to Scottish Ministers to ensure he is prevented from working with children.
Del.icio.us
Digg
Facebook
Reddit
Stumbleupon
'Gentle' son dies in motorbike tragedy