Sex offender claimed to be abuse victim of Dunblane killer

Man bombarded schoolgirl with sexual messages

A pervert who groomed a teenage girl for sex was a victim of Dunblane killer Thomas Hamilton, it has been claimed.

Steven Ramsay forged a friendship with the vulnerable schoolgirl through their shared experience of abuse.

The 34-year-old bombarded her with hundreds of text messages, which eventually resulted in them meeting for sex shortly after she turned 16.

At Perth Sheriff Court, Ramsay was jailed for two years and placed on the sex offenders register.

Solicitor Peter O’Neill, defending, noted that a pre-sentencing report claimed Ramsay had not been the victim of abuse himself.

“That is not true,” he said. “He was abused by Thomas Hamilton, the Dunblane killer.

“The complainer had also been the victim of abuse. She had those experiences and he felt he could share them.

“He was surprised by how open she was. She appeared to be more mature than her years.

“Their friendship developed and he felt the complainer was developing a crush on him – he was flattered by this.”

He added that Ramsay had not sought professional help to deal with the abuse.

The court had earlier heard that Ramsay was arrested after a relative found the text messages on his victim’s phone and alerted police.

Depute fiscal David Bernard, said: “He admitted exchanging dirty images with her and then having sex with her when she turned 16. Significant texts were when she was 15. He said he had an empty building for sexual activity.

“He had sex with her in his car near a monument in Kinross.

“He admitted messing with her head and not really loving her.”

Ramsay, a prisoner at Perth, was convicted of meeting the girl in Kinross with the intention of engaging in unlawful sexual activity between December 1 2016 and March 24 2017.

He was further convicted of sending her sexual test messages on a number of occasions between December and March, and to breaching a condition not to contact the girl on June 15 2017.

Sheriff Lindsay Foulis ordered that Ramsay be placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years in addition to the custodial sentence.

The complainer had also been the victim of abuse. She had those experiences and he felt he could share them. PETER O’NEILL

Steven Ramsay, 34, was sentenced to two years in jail at Perth Sheriff Court.