May 2021

Serial pervert given four-year sentence

A serial Scots sex beast who bombarded a 12-year-old boy with indecent images and explicit messages has been jailed as part of a four-year sentence.

Scott Russell, 40, sent x-rated selfies, and said he wanted to perform sex acts on the youngster, and vice versa.

He contacted the child, who can’t be named for legal reasons, so often through two different profiles on Facebook Messenger that a flurry of messages were received when police arrived at the boy’s home to investigate the offences.

And officers then found a clutch of child sex abuse images when they raided Russell’s home in Paisley, Renfrewshire.

Russell was arrested and charged but did not let up – and continued to send more messages to the child.

Russell admitted his guilt during a hearing at Paisley Sheriff Court last month, and returned to the dock on Friday to learn his fate over the case, and breaking bail conditions by having a mobile phone capable of accessing the internet.

The judge ruled there was only one way he could deal with Russell, and caged him for 16 months for his crimes.

He also made him the subject of a three-year Extended Sentence, which will see him monitored in the community once he is released from prison.

He also placed him on the Sex Offenders’ Register for 10 years, and said: “I have concluded that a sentence of imprisonment is the only suitable disposal.”

He said the three-year supervision period would “ensure that the public is adequately protected against serious harm” from Russell when he is released from jail.

Last month Russell pleaded guilty to four charges – sending indecent messages and pictures to the boy when he was 12, doing the same, and sending a video of masturbation, when the boy was 13, possessing indecent images of children, and breaking bail conditions by continuing to contact the youngster after being charged initially.

Prosecutor David McDonald told the court that officers from Police Scotland went to the youngster’s home on December 13, 2019, to investigate.

The Procurator Fiscal Depute explained: “They met with him and his mother. His mother immediately asked (her son) if it was, ‘to do with him?’ to which he replied, ‘he just sent me another message 5 minutes ago’.

“He turned his phone towards the officers who saw an image of an indecent sexual nature that had been sent through Facebook Messenger.”

As the officers noted the boy’s details, Russell sent another message, saying he wanted to perform a sex act on the youngster.

He’d sent eight images and one video and two telephone numbers – a mobile number and a landline.

Russell had sent several pictures of his privates to the boy and repeatedly said he wanted to engage in sex acts with the youngster.

Officers then raided Russell’s home, seizing devices containing indecent images of children, featuring boys aged between eight and 16.

He was detained and interviewed over the case, appeared in court and was bailed.

And, once released, he continued to message the youngster from a different profile, claiming the boy had lied about being a 38-year-old and that there was therefore “no case to answer.”

The teen showed police the additional messages and officers discovered more naked pictures had been sent from this second profile in November 2019, before his initial arrest.

In March 2020 Russell sent more messages to the boy, accusing the boy of hounding him for “phone sex” and to meet his dog, and boasting he had won a harassment case against his neighbours over his sexuality and disability.

Russell was convicted of similar offences and given probation in 1998, and admonished over public indecency in 2004.

April 2021

Scots predator sent nude images to boy he tried to groom for sex

A twisted pervert sent pictures of his private parts to a 12-year-old boy he was attempting to groom for sex.

Scott Russell, 40, bombarded the youngster – who cannot be identified – with obscene photos, vile sexual messages and even forwarded an indecent video, in a bid to coax the schoolboy into contacting him.

Paisley Sheriff Court heard even after the youngster reported Russell to police, he continued to hound him with messages and photos via a social media messaging app.

These naked “self-photos” included tell-tale details of his clothing, including his unloosened belt and trousers, as well as furnishings in his flat, which helped police identify him as the culprit.

Russell even posed nude on a park bench accompanied by his small black dog, and sent the picture to the victim.

Cops who busted him at his flat in the town discovered Russell had also hoarded indecent images of boys aged between eight and 18 being sexually abused by adult men on his computer.

Procurator fiscal depute David McDonald told the court when cops visited the youngster’s home and spoke with his mother, the child said: “He’s just sent me another message five minutes ago.”

Mr McDonald said: “When asked who he was referring to, the complainer replied ‘Scott Russell’.

“He turned his phone towards police officers, who saw indecent images of a sexual nature had been sent through Facebook Messenger. They were taking details when he was sent another message, which said, ‘Love you to make me c***.’”

Officers asked for permission to search the boy’s handset for evidence of what Russell had been sending him.

The court heard Russell had swamped the youngster with sexual messages and obscene images including photos he had taken of his private parts, and a video depicting a sex act.

As well as sending naked pictures of him in his flat, Russell had sent images of him sitting on a park bench exposing himself, in the company of a small black dog.

Police obtained a search warrant for his house and swooped on December 17, 2019. They recovered his PC and his mobile handset.

The prosecutor added: “He was at home accompanied by a small black dog very familiar to the dog in the photographs.

“Police also recovered a fabric belt and blue blanket, also very familiar to the ones in pictures.”

Analysis of the computer revealed Russell had ten indecent images featuring boys aged between eight and 16 being abused by adult men.

However, the court was told even after he was snared by police, he continued sending a flurry of obscene pictures.

He also sent messages warning the schoolboy to make himself a lot older by falsifying his date of birth to police.

Russell appeared in the dock before Sheriff Tom McCartney and pleaded guilty to charges of intentionally sending sexual written communications and images to a child, who had not yet attained the age of 13, for the purposes of obtaining sexual gratification, and humiliating, distressing or alarming the child on dates between November 11, 2019 and December 13, 2019.

He also pleaded guilty to possession of indecent images at his home on December 17, 2019, and to breaching bail conditions by contacting the complainer on dates between December 26, 2019 and March 3, 2020.

Sheriff McCartney adjourned sentencing to call for reports.

He warned him: “These offences are very serious. You will be aware that a prison sentence is a possible disposal, and that sentence may well be what happens. But I won’t make a decision about that until I have seen the report.”

Russell will be sentenced on May 21.

April 2021

Paedophile bodyguard has sentencing hearing at Greenock Sheriff Court postponed

A perverted bodyguard who trawled the internet for sickening images of child sexual abuse has had his sentencing hearing at Greenock Sheriff Court postponed.

Thomas Brankin, 44 — a former RAF infantryman — had been due to have the matter dealt with yesterdy after a jury found him guilty of hoarding the material on a laptop computer.

But proceedings have been adjourned until next week because background reports on Wemyss Bay man Brankin are yet to be completed.

The pervert had more than 1,000 indecent images on the computer.

Brankin is due in court next Wednesday.