Man who approached teens back in court
A 60-year-old Perth man who had his name added to the Sex Offenders’ Register after he propositioned two 14-year-old schoolgirls at a local fast food restaurant was back before the court last week.
It emerged that John Murphy, of Ballantine Place, had failed to comply with the notification requirements of the 2003 Sexual Offences Act.
He admitted that between November 16 and 18, 2019, at Perth Police Station, he failed to provide officers with his details within the stipulated three-day period.
The omission led to him being fined £400 at Perth Sheriff Court on
Wednesday.
Imposing the fine, Sheriff Lindsay Foulis noted that the accused has two previous convictions for sexual offences - in 2018 and 2019 - and a background report indicated he was at “high risk” of offending again.
Solicitor Billy Somerville said it was not a case that his client had been “avoiding going to register”.
Police also knew where he was staying and they had traced him at his home.
Murphy previously had a community payback order imposed, involving 18 months’ supervision by a social worker, along with alcohol treatment as required.
He previously admitted approaching a group of girls and asking the two 14-yearolds for sex at McDonalds, in Dunkeld Road, on September 25, 2019.
Depute fiscal Mairi Graham pointed out that Murphy had a walking stick with him at the time.
She said his comments to the teenagers were “clearly about sex” and he had added: “I’m not too old.”
At a review of the accused’s community payback order, Sheriff Foulis allowed it to run to its conclusion without any further progress checks.
The sheriff who imposed the original order said at the time: “It must have been frightening for the girls concerned.”
Ruling that there was a “significant sexual element” to the comments made to the schoolgirls, Murphy’s name was ordered to remain on the register for 18 months.