SEX BEAST SENT DOWN

Prison sentence for attack on seven-year-old girl

A sex beast has been jailed for the “horrific” abuse of a seven-year-old girl more than 27 years ago.

Peter Burns (51) was supposed to be caring for the youngster when he groped her and rubbed his naked body against hers, a court heard.

He was sentenced last week to 14 months and two weeks in prison, discounted from an 18-month sentence because he pled guilty before he was due to stand trial.

Passing sentence at Livingston Sheriff Court, Sheriff Martin Edington told Burns his name would remain on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years.

The paedophile, whose address was given as Gowanbank, Ladywell, was already on a two- year community payback order after being convicted last year of possessing indecent images of children in 2015.

He later pled guilty on indictment to using lewd, indecent and libidinous practices and behaviour towards the primary school girl.

The offence took place on or about January 16, 1991 at an address in West Lothian.

Jim Robertson, prosecuting,

said the girl kept the matter secret until relatively recently when she divulged to her mother that she had been abused.

It was on August 9, 2016, that police were first informed and she made a complaint about being sexually abused by the accused.

Burns later made admissions to police to exactly the charge which he admitted in court.

Jailing him, Sheriff Edington said: “This is an horrific offence involving as it does the abuse of a sevenyear-old girl when you were in a position of trust and responsibility for her.

“It turns out this was not your first sex offence because you appeared before a children’s hearing when you were 15 and, of course, last year you were placed on a two-year community payback order.

“While that conviction post-dates this offence you appear to have a history showing a propensity for sexual offending against children.”

He added: “On the plus side you accept – however reluctantly – that you do have a sexual interest in young children and you are aware your behaviour was wrong.

“I accept there may not have been much planning and that you were a victim of sexual abuse as well.

“However, on the minus side, you have a limited understanding of the impact on your victim and she has made clear in her victim impact statement the effect it has had on her.”

He said Burns had been assessed as being at high risk of sexual reoffending and he had come to the conclusion that his crime was so serious that only a custodial sentence was appropriate.

He said he had considered an extended sentence with post release supervision but had come to the conclusion that the community payback order, due to run until September 2018, could be extended to keep him under social work supervision.

The victim and her family, who can’t be identified for legal reasons, left the court in tears as Burns was led away to begin his sentence.

Outside she criticised the sentence as not being harsh enough for him. “It wasn’t as much as he deserved,” she said.