Edinburgh charity volunteer sexually assaulted three teenage boys in his South Queensferry home

A charity volunteer who sexually assaulted three teenage boys is facing a jail sentence.

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Stephen Murray, 50, attacked the lads on separate occasions while they stayed at his former home in South Queensferry.

Murray invited the boys, two aged 16 and one 14-years-old, to sleep over at his flat before creeping into their bedroom and climbing into bed with them.

Sex offender Murray is a volunteer with the International Fire and Rescue Association

He then kissed and groped the teenagers who were said to have been left “petrified” by the attacks and had pretended to be asleep.

The three victims, who cannot be identified due to legal reasons, were left so terrified by the sex assaults they failed to tell anyone what had happened to them for years afterwards.

Once brave victim then came forward and made a statement to police and the two other boys decided to inform police of the assaults on them.

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Disgraced Murray leaves Edinburgh Sheriff Court

Murray pleaded guilty to the three sex attacks on the teenage boys at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.

His social media states he is a volunteer with the International Fire and Rescue Association charity who aid emergency services in developing nations around the world.

The bus driver also states on the page he is an RAF reservist, a sessional medic and home carer for his family.

Prosecutor Alan Wickham told the court Murray was a widower and made contact with the first of his victims through a Facebook private message after the lad had posted a relative had died.

Murray told the boy “he had recently lost his wife and understood what he was going through” before sending the boy gifts through the post.

The boy was invited to stay at Murray’s home after the pervert had invited the lad to attend an event at Knockhill Racing Circuit in Fife in April 2014.

The pair had dinner and watched TV before the boy retired to bed at around midnight with Murray saying he would sleep on the couch.

During the night the boy “heard the door of the bedroom opening” and Murray slipped into bed beside the youngster, tickled his ears and performed a sex act on him..

The boy pretended to be asleep and made no mention of the attack the following day. The victim told police he was also sexually assaulted a second time by Murray six months later.

The second victim also stayed over Murray’s home in April 2014 and presumed he would sleep alone in the pervert’s bed.

But again during the night Murray made his way into the room and after creeping into the bed he kissed and fondled the boy’s genitals while the lad pretended to be asleep.

The boy told police he did not tell anyone as he was “petrified” by the attack and that Murray said to him the following morning “sorry for getting into bed but he was cold and had come through for a heat”.

The boy told police Murray had also assaulted him a second time at an address in Ayrshire.

The third boy was attacked in a similar way at the South Queensferry home in January 2015 after agreeing to stay the night.

The sex assaults eventually came to light in January 2019 when one of the victims made contact with police to make a statement.

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Sheriff Nigel Ross placed Murray on the Sex Offenders’ Register and deferred sentence to later this year. Murray was released on bail.

Murray admitted to sexually assaulting two teenage boys on two occasions at an address in South Queensferry and an address in Ayrshire between April 1, 2014 and January 31, 2015.

He also admitted to a charge engaging in sexual activity with a 14-year-old boy by rubbing his leg and touching his penis over his clothing at the South Queensferry address between January 1 and 31, 2015.

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