Mother of child abuse victim enraged as sex attacker avoids jail

Fife paedophile preyed on four boys under the age of 13

The mother of a child sex abuse victim screamed at his attacker as he was sentenced for a series of horrific offences.

Liam Cunningham appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court having been found guilty of sexually assaulting four boys under the age of 13 following a trial last month.

The 19-year-old, who targeted his young victims in Leven and Kennoway between 2014 and 2017, showed no emotion as the woman punched the glass surrounding the dock.

She screamed: “My son tried to kill himself because of you,” before running from the court in tears.

Cunningham narrowly avoided being jailed and was blasted by the sheriff for refusing to accept his guilt.

He was placed under supervision for three years and ordered to sign the sex offenders register for the same time period.

He was also ordered to complete 250 hours of unpaid work.

His defence advocate Michael Anderson told the court his client had a “miserable existence” before the offences were committed and had struggled with his sexuality.

He said the offences “only lasted around 20 to 21 seconds” and that Cunningham intended to move away from the area.

Cunningham was found guilty of carrying out a sex act on a young boy in a wooded area of the Broom Estate in Leven between 2014 and 2016.

He was also found guilty of carrying out a sex act on another boy under the age of 13 in the same area in 2016.

A third guilty verdict was returned to a charge of sexually assaulting a third boy in the Den area of Kennoway between December 2016 and January 2017.

He also abused a fourth young boy during the same time period and at the same place.

Sheriff Jamie Gilchrist said: “I think you need to find a way to get to the point where you can accept that you have committed serious offences.

“You appear to have had inappropriate interactions with much younger children and that age gap created a power imbalance.”

Cunningham was banned from having contact with any children under the age of 16 without supervision.

I think you need to find a way to get to the point where you can accept that you have committed serious offences