Stalker of girl, 11, is locked up
AN elderly man described as “every parent’s worst nightmare”, who stalked an 11-year-old girl in Glasgow, has been jailed.
Archibald Donaghy, 61, targeted the child repeatedly on her way home from school, in the Dennistoun and Calton areas.
Jailing Donaghy, a sheriff said his behaviour had been “terrifying.”
AN elderly man described as “every parent’s worst nightmare” who repeatedly preyed on an 11-year-old girl has been jailed for almost two years.
Archibald Donaghy, 61, gave the child money and a note saying, “have a good day at school beautiful xx.”
The next day he waited on her walking to school and gave her a plastic tub with a note in it, a bottle of juice and more money.
He then walked alongside her and asked to cuddle her.
Twice, he invited her into his car on her way home that day but, terrified, the girl ran home and told her mum.
He pled guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to stalking the 11-year-old on various occasions between March 14 and 15 in the city’s Calton and Dennistoun areas.
Jailing Donaghy for 20 months, sheriff Paul Crozier told him: “Your conduct on March 14 and 15 was terrifying.
“Thankfully, she had the good sense to run away.”
The sheriff added: “You are a danger, Mr Donaghy, so far as I am concerned, to young children.”
Donaghy was given a fiveyear non-harassment order and put on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years.
The court heard Donaghy first spoke to the child on her way home from school alone and gave her money on March 14.
Procurator fiscal depute Adele Macdonald said: “He approached the girl offering her two £1 coins saying to her, ‘Go buy yourself something’, suggesting she buy chips.”
Initially, she refused but took the money when Donaghy insisted.
The court heard the girl told her mum what happened and said she was “scared like hell”, and the police were contacted. Donaghy was captured on CCTV and police detained him at his home.
A spokesman for NSPCC Scotland said: “This case is every parent’s worst nightmare.”