Dalkeith man who sexually abused young boy during night time beach visits jailed

Morgan Sinclair, 26, molested the child by touching his thigh and penis while the pair sat in his vehicle at a car park near the beach at Port Seton in East Lothian.

Sinclair also took the lad down to the secluded beach area and used a torch while attempting to touch him intimately as the boy urinated, all while he was looking after the youngster. He also sent the young victim sexual messages on social media asking if he had gone through puberty and trying to gain information on his sexual experiences, all between 2020 and 2022.

Sinclair, of Dalkeith, Midlothian, also made vile sexual remarks to a second child concerning erections, masturbation and discussing the size of the boy’s penis.

Morgan Sinclair, 26, sexually abused a young boy during night visits to the beach. | Alexander Lawrie

Sinclair denied all the allegations against him but was found guilty of three sexual offences by a jury following a four day trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last month. He returned to the dock for sentencing on Tuesday where a sheriff said he had carried out “a sustained course of conduct” which had “betrayed his responsibilities as a responsible adult”.

Sheriff Julius Komorowski added: “It was your responsibility as an adult to safeguard them and not to exploit them. They were not responsible for what occurred. The effects of sexual abuse on children can be lifelong.”

The sheriff jailed Sinclair for a total of three years and placed him on the sex offenders register for an indefinite period. He was also given non-harassment orders banning him from having any contact with both victims for the next five years.

Sinclair was found guilty of sexually assaulting a child aged between 13 and 15 at Port Seton beach in East Lothian on various occasions between March 13, 2020 and March 12, 2022.

He was also found to have sent the same child messages of a sexual nature on various occasions between the same dates.He was also found guilty of uttering sexual remarks to a second child and sending him messages of a sexual nature on social media on various occasions between June 1 and August 25, 2023.