Former Dundee and Angus lecturer found guilty of sex offences

An ex-Dundee and Angus College lecturer has been found guilty of sending explicit photographs of himself to teenage students.

Lewis Bryan, 29, also attempted to blackmail one of the boys into sending him a naked photograph and video by threatening to not submit his assignment for marking unless he did so.

Bryan, who also worked with vulnerable people at Victim Support, strenuously denied the allegations throughout his trial at Dundee Sheriff Court but was found guilty of three charges against two boys, aged 17 and 18, by a majority verdict.

The prosecution relied on mutual corroboration, with both boys giving almost identical accounts of how Bryan gained their trust and added them on social messaging app Snapchat in 2017 and 2018.

One of the boys had been confiding in the lecturer about his mental health problems when he received a sexual video clip of Bryan.

The former student, now aged 20, told the court he was left feeling “sick and disgusted”, eventually confiding in a teacher about how he was suffering from panic attacks as a result of the incident.

The other victim said he had been sent more than 10 explicit photographs and videos, as well as requests for “nudes” over a period of around a year.

He described how “eccentric” Bryan talked to students about his sex life during classes and encouraged them to add him on social media, where he went by the username “Lewb”.

The victim told the court he had kept quiet about the behaviour because he feared for his grades.

Sentencing was deferred until March 24 and Bryan, who was bailed, placed on the sex offenders register in the meantime.

Sheriff Alastair Carmichael told him: “They are serious charges. A custodial sentence has to be considered but I also have to consider alternatives as you are a first offender.”

A spokesperson for Dundee and Angus College said Bryan had left its employment in 2018 and declined to comment further.