Sentences were handed down for crimes including sexual assault, drugs smuggling, murder, and historic sex abuse at a children’s home.
1. Man groped schoolgirl as she made her way home
Andrej Palicjuk, 36, pounced on a young girl as she made her way home from school by grabbing her buttocks near her to her home in the Leith in May last year.
The distraught schoolgirl made her way home before breaking down and telling her parents about the sex attack on her. Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told the child has been left traumatised by the incident and is now “scared to death” to go outside on her own.
Palicjuk denied intentionally groping the youngster and claimed he had only intended to pinch her arm as a joke but a sheriff failed to believe his version and found him guilty following a trial.
Sheriff Peter Anderson said he had found the child to be “responsible and careful” in giving her evidence and she did “not try to elaborate” what had happened her.
Sentencing Palicjuk on March 3, the sheriff said he was “just persuaded” not to impose custody and Palicjuk was was placed on a 24 month supervision order and will have to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work. He was also placed on the sex offenders register for five years. | Alexander Lawrie
2. Father caught with horror child abuse images
An Edinburgh father who was caught in possession of a horror haul of child sex abuse images was jailed on March 3 for 16 months.
Philip Bampton, 44, was found to have downloaded hundreds of pictures and videos depicting young children being sexually abused by adults when police raided his home in 2023.
Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told the revolting material included male and female children aged between six and 14-years-old.
The court was told 70 files were recovered that were rated by specialist police officers as Category A – the most depraved end of the spectrum.
Bampton pleaded guilty to possessing indecent images of children at his home between December 19, 2022 and November 3, 2023 when he appeared at the city’s sheriff court in February.
Bampton was jailed for 16 months and placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years. | Alexander Lawrie
3. Rugby manager sent indecent photos
A Scottish Rugby youth team manager who sent schoolboy players indecent images and made sexual comments to them has been placed on the sex offenders register.
Steven Dyer sent the boys sexual videos and pictures while they were part of a Scotland international youth squad on a training camp a trip in Wales in 2023.
Dyer posted a video of him urinating along with a second clip of him licking his finger in a provocative manner to a group Snapchat account the young boys had access to.
The 27-year-old hotel manager was caught when a shocked parent of one victim became aware of the online messages and contacted a teacher at the child’s school in Edinburgh.
Dyer was suspended by the sport’s governing body Scottish Rugby and was sacked from his job with Lloyds Banking Group.
He denied the allegations and claimed the communication was part of “rugby banter” and what he had sent to the WhatsApp group was “nothing of a sexual nature”. But the youth team boss was found guilty of three offences of intentional indecent communication between February and October 2023 following a trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in February. Returning to court for sentencing on March 7, Dyer, from Newton St Boswalls, Scottish Borders, escaped custody and was instead placed on community payback order involving a nine month supervision order and 200 hours of unpaid work.
Dyer will also be electronically tagged and have to stay within his home between 7pm and 7am for three months and was issued with non-harassment orders banning him from having any contact with the three victims for two years. He was also placed on the sex offenders register for five years. | Alexander Lawrie
4. Tradesman sexually assaulted drunk schoolgirl after throwing birthday party for her
A Midlothian tradesman sexually assaulted a drunk teenage schoolgirl after agreeing to throw a birthday party for her at his home. Alan Blair organised the birthday bash for the girl and plied her with alcohol before pouncing as she lay drunk on a sofa in his living room.
Blair, 49, told the teenager “she was pretty and mature for her age” before leaning in and kissing her on the lips while she was incapable of giving or withholding consent.
The schoolgirl eventually managed to flee the room and left his home with a friend early the following morning in February 2022. The self employed electrical engineer then sent his victim messages apologising for his behaviour saying “sorry about the kiss, but I think we both liked it”.
The child’s mother later discovered sleazy text messages sent by Blair on her daughter’s phone and contacted the police.
Blair pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting the girl while she was incapable of giving or withholding consent at his home on February 11, 2022 when he appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in February.
He returned to the dock for sentencing on March 7, where Sheriff Julius Komorowski spared him custody despite describing his conduct as “deeply disturbing”. Blair was placed on the sex offenders register for three years and banned from being in the company of any female under the age of 16 as part of a conduct requirement. He was also sentenced to a three year supervision order and ordered to carry out 135 hours of unpaid work in the community. | Alexander Lawrie
