Former police officer jailed for sex crimes against boy
A FORMER police officer has been jailed for a second time on Friday for carrying out sex crimes against boys in the RAF cadets.
Colin Fowler, who was serving with Fife Constabulary at the time of the crimes and was a cadet leader at RAF Pitreavie, at Dunfermline, plied youngsters with alcohol before subjecting them to abuse after meeting them through the air training corps.
The latest victim to come forward was a teenager when he was subjected to two indecent assaults by Fowler after he was invited to the policeman’s home and offered drink.
Lord Armstrong told Fowler at the High Court in Edinburgh: “You pled guilty to two charges which involved calculating, manipulative and predatory sexual abuse of a young boy who you knew through your involvement with the RAF cadets.”
The judge jailed him for 16 months and told him that his offending had “devastating and ongoing, long term consequences” for the victim.
Lord Armstrong said: “Society has an abhorrence of such conduct and it is the responsibility of the court to reflect that.
“I am satisfied that in your case there is no appropriate alternative disposal to one of imprisonment.”
Fowler (81) was previously jailed for four and a half years in 2018 for committing sexual offences against two other boys from the cadets. He was released on licence in 2021.
Lord Armstrong said that in sentencing Fowler for the latest crimes to emerge he took into account his age, health, the historical nature of the offending and that they were in effect a continuation of the course of conduct he was earlier jailed for.
The judge also discounted the sentence from 18 months following his guilty plea. He had denied the sex offending against the two former cadets at his earlier trial in 2018, but was unanimously found guilty of the charges against the boys who were aged between 13 and 16 at the time.
Fowler, of Harbourlea, Anstruther, admitted carrying out two indecent assaults against the third victim, who was 17 to 18, between January and December in 1982 at his former home in the Fife village’s East Green, during a court appearance last month.
Advocate depute Eric Roberston told the court: “He is a retired police officer and receives a police pension monthly.”
He said Fowler’s previous convictions were “directly analogous” to the latest charges he admitted as the victims were all befriended by him while they were involved with the cadets and he would supply them with alcohol after inviting them to his home and sharing a bed with the boys.
The prosecutor said the latest victim to come forward knew of Fowler’s connection with the police and did not think he would be believed if he told anyone what had happened to him. He did call Dunfermline police station in the 1980s to report Fowler, but did not receive a call back.
Mr Robertson said the actions of Fowler caused the victim “anguish,
depression and difficulty finding enjoyment in life”.
After he found out he was convicted of the offences against other boys he contacted Police Scotland.
Defence counsel Tony Lenehan KC said Fowler had health problems and was suffering “a loss of general mobility”. He said that Fowler would be able to pay compensation as part of a non-custodial disposal.
Fowler was placed on the sex offenders’ register.
“You pled guilty to two charges which involved calculating, manipulative and predatory sexual abuse of a young boy...”