Astounded by lack of moral judgment in our legal system

WAS I alone in being baffled and angered by one story in this week’s Tele?

A man of 20 was found guilty of grooming a 10-year-old girl before subjecting her to a depraved sex act in a flat in Dundee, described as a “hair’s breadth from rape”.

It’s the kind of headline that turns your stomach and makes you question how such evil can exist.

And just when you think it can’t get worse, we learn that the culprit is still free a year on from the attack and months after being found guilty.

Corey Urquart, who made the primary school pupil believe they were “boyfriend and girlfriend”, had told the court he had moved to an address in Blackpool to be with his partner.

But the relationship had failed and he had since moved back to his home town of Alness, north of Inverness.

So while a child has been dealt a life sentence of nightmares and flashbacks, we can only assume the pervert who dealt the blow is free to do anything he pleases — perhaps a jaunt to the Pleasure Beach in Blackpool, a perfect playground to identify a new victim.

There is no mention of any restraints on this man. So in the year since the attack, has he had internet access to find and groom another child?

Did the partner he fleetingly stayed with have children living in the same house as this monster?

So many questions arise from this man’s continued liberty and none more so than reading the catalogue of errors in the judicial process.

Sentence had been deferred last month for reports but when Urquhart appeared in court, defence advocate Victoria Dow said a report had not been prepared, due to him changing addresses. And so he sauntered off once more.

Sheriff Alastair Brown said it was “with extremely substantial hesitation I will not remand him in custody” with sentence deferred until May 10.

Why not lock him up if the powers to do so exist? Why on earth would a predator be allowed to roam any street when he could strike again?

And why was Urquhart only warned that he would be locked up if he does not engage with social workers’?

He should have been locked up long ago. On the heads of those who allow him liberty be it if one hair of any other child is harmed by him.

As a mother, it disgusts me and I will not be alone.

As someone who studied law and almost became a solicitor, I am astounded by the lack of common sense, moral judgment and decency shown by our legal system.

This is the very kind of injustice that should have us campaigning for the right thing to be done — for the sake of all children and in particular the wee girl whose very innocence has been taken by the abhorrent acts of a human being.