Serial sex offender exposed himself to primary-age pupils

Aman exposed himself to young pupils from a Fife primar y school doing their daily mile exercise at a local park, a court has heard.

Serial sex offender Dale Henderson, 30, admitted e xposing himself in a sexual manner in September, while youngsters from a primary school were walking around John Dixon Park.

Henderson has previously been jailed for six months for committing a sex act on a public bus in front of two 15- year- old girls, in May 2018.

Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court heard how teachers initially missed the incident but Henderson was swiftly tracked down after three of the shocked pupils confided in staff.

Fiscal Ronnie Ha y revealed a young boy – who cannot be named for legal reasons – had been taking part in the daily mile, which involved classes doing two laps of the park, when he saw Henderson standing in the middle of the football pitch.

A short time later, Henderson was seen standing in a play park, close to the slide and swings, with his arms folded and exposing himself.

This was seen by at least five pupils and Henderson ran towards the boy and shouted “what are you looking at?”.

Mr Hay went on to reveal that another witness, who was picking up her daughter near the school gates, saw a man acting suspiciously and looking “frantic” in nearby King Edward Street.

It was around this time the boy told a member of staff at the school there had been a ma n exposing himself in the park.

The matter was taken to head teacher Katherine Easson and the boy, another boy and a girl all corroborated his story.

Police were contacted and clothing was later seized from Henderson’s property which was all later identified by the boy and the woman who had been picking up her daughter that afternoon.

Defence solicitor Martin McGuire said his client had descended into such offending to achieve “sexual gratification”, and acknowledged it was now his fourth conviction for offences of a similar nature.

Henderson was sentenced to six months behind bars after putting his hands down his trousers in front of two 15-year-old girls on a bus travelling between Kirkcaldy and Leven Bus Station on May 22, 2018.

The then-28-year-old had been going home from a treatment programme to address the behaviour of sex offenders

Sheriff James Williamson deferred sentence on Henderson, who appeared via video link from HMP Barlinnie, until the middle of next month.