Ex-officer facing jail for abusing teenagers

A retired police officer from Fife who sexually abused teenage air training corps cadets more than 30 years ago is facing jail.

Colin Fowler plied the youngsters with drink and molested and assaulted them at his then home in Anstruther.

Fowler, 76, had denied carrying out the sex attacks on two former cadets but yesterday was unanimously found guilty of the offences following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh.

He was convicted of assaulting one teenager by supplying him with alcohol and carrying out sex acts on him at a house in East Green, Anstruther, in July and August 1972.

He was also found guilty of assaulting a second teenager between July 1977 and July 1982, beginning when the victim was aged 13, by giving him drink and carrying out sex acts on him.

Advocate depute Alan Cameron asked one of the victims if he had considered reporting the abuse to the police at the time.

He replied: “He was a policeman. He seemed to know everyone in the police anyway.”

The other victim said: “I felt responsible. I felt guilty and I carried that guilt for a long, long time.”

Fowler was working as an officer with Fife Constabulary at the time of the offences and was a cadets leader at RAF Pitreavie, near Dunfermline.

One victim, now aged 62, said that during his time at the cadets Fowler became an officer with the air cadets and would offer him a lift home.

Fowler invited him to stay at his home in Anstruther from about the age of 14. The victim said he was given whisky and Fowler started to touch him, ignoring his pleas to stop.

Fowler’s other victim, a former Army veteran, said he had later been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder and went to see a psychiatrist.

The man, 54, said: “It was during that time I first made mention of being abused.”

He said Fowler often gave him a lift and befriended his parents.

Defence counsel Ronnie Renucci asked for Fowler’s bail to be continued to prepare a background on him ahead of sentencing next month.

The trial judge, Lord Brailsford, placed Fowler, of Harbourlea, Anstruther, on the sex offenders register and agreed to grant him bail.