Girl warned she could be killed

Published 10 Mar 2011 08:00

A STRANGER snatched a schoolgirl from the street and drove her about eight miles to a secluded spot to photograph his victim telling her that the pictures would earn him "lots of money" on the internet.

James McMillan (40) forced the 14-year-old who was wearing her school uniform, to remove her underwear during the ordeal before compelling her to carry out a 10 minute sex act.

The Tillicoultry father-of-three then sprayed the girl's hands with cleaning fluid afterwards before telling her, "I'm going to drive away and if you turn around I'll kill you."

After he left, the distressed victim managed to make her way to a road and flag down a passing motorist, the High Court in Edinburgh heard yesterday (Tuesday).

When McMillan was later tracked down by police he was unable to give any explanation for his crime "saying that he had just hated the world and 'wanted somebody hurt'", said advocate depute Alex Prenctice QC.

McMillan, formerly of Union Street, admitted abducting the girl on 21 June last year in Dollar and taking her to a track near Linn Mill in the county where he assaulted her and photographed her.

The court heard that the girl had set off for school at about 8.20am when she heard a vehicle behind her. She then heard "clomping" footsteps and saw McMillan walk past her when he suddenly turned round to face her, grabbed her wrist and told her, "You are coming with me".

He began pulling her and after the teenager saw he was holding what she believed was a knife, she stopped resisting.

As McMillan took her by the arm and walked to his vehicle in the High Street, the girl spotted a friend of her brother, but was too scared to shout and silently mouthed the word "help". The boy noticed her gesture but failed to understand what was going on.

A passing woman motorist also saw the girl, who looked anxious, being pulled by McMillan but thought it was an argument between father and daughter and did not intervene.

McMillan told his victim to get in the car while she pleaded with him to let her go offering to give him her purse, mobile phone and ipod.

But he told her, "Get in the car. If you don't get in the car I'll bring the knife back out."

The girl got in and McMillan drove off with his captive trying to open the rear doors, but found they were locked.

"She could see other pupils and tried to mouth "help" but was told to stop. A friend of the victim who was on a bus spotted her in the car and thought she looked distressed.

McMillan drove onto a farm track and went to a fenced compound.

He asked how old the girl was and said he had a daughter who was the same age.

He told her he was from "down south" and was visiting friends.

"He appeared to be calm apart from when he ordered her into the car.

"At one point during the car journey she asked the accused whether he was going to hurt her to which he replied 'I don't know'," said Mr Prentice.

McMillan picked up a mobile phone and got into the back of the car.

"He then used the mobile phone to take photographs of her fully clothed, stating that they were going on the internet and would earn him lots of money," said the prosecutor.

He then told his victim to remove her clothes and perform a sex act as he continued taking pictures, before abandoning her at the scene.

McMillan, who had been in a relationship with a woman in Rotherham, Yorkshire, was traced and arrested nearly five months later.

During initial interviews he denied any involvement in the offence and said he was not in Scotland on the day before coming clean.

Mr Prentice said, "He then went on to tell the interviewing officers that he had been sitting outside the Co-op in Dollar in his car and that he felt angry with the world.

"He said that he had driven towards Castle Campbell and the first person he saw was the victim, who he did not know."

He denied having a knife saying the girl saw his silver mobile phone.

McMillan said that after the offence he dumped the girl's own phone at a spot near Tulliallan golf course in Kincardine and headed south to Rotherham.

He also told officers that he had deleted the images of the girl which he took and denied sending them to anyone.

Mr Prentice said, "He confirmed that he did not know the victim and had not even asked her name."

The judge, Lord Bracadale, deferred sentence on McMillan until 26 April at the High Court in Glasgow to obtain reports.

He also placed McMillan, who is in custody, on the sex offenders' register.

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This article appeared in Alloa & Hillfoots Advertiser 09 Mar 11

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