Edinburgh rapist who abused teenage boy back behind bars

Convicted rapist Kenneth Gibson is back behind bars after appearing at Edinburgh's Sheriff Court on Thursday.

Kenneth Gibson dragged a 14-year-old boy from a bus and sexually abused him in Edinburgh city centre in 2004.

The 34-year-old was jailed for eight years and kept under supervision for the same length of time after he pleaded guilty to the horror attack at the High Court in Edinburgh.

Gibson was released early in 2010 and was placed on a Sexual Offenders Prevention Order to monitor his behaviour while he was out.

But the rapist was hauled back to court just days later after he was caught chatting to another sex offender at the Capital’s Greenside Place.

He was jailed for 12 months for the breaching the order and was told he must serve the remaining 12 months of his original sentence.

Now Gibson is facing another lengthy term behind bars after he admitted further breaching the SOPO when he appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday.

Fiscal depute Clare Kennedy told the court Gibson was staying at Citadel Court in the city’s Leith area in November last year when the building’s concierge spotted a male hanging about outside the property.

The male, who cannot be identified due to legal reasons, said he was waiting on Gibson and admitted visiting the offender’s flat with his girlfriend.

Police were alerted and officers found the 23-year-old male was not a list of approved visitors Gibson was allowed to have at his home.

Ms Kennedy said: “Mr Gibson was arrested on November 18 in relation to this breach. It was confirmed he had been spending time with [the male] in the company of other persons at Mr Gibson’s home address.”

Mr Gow QC, defending, said unemployed Gibson had befriended the male and his girlfriend after finding himself “struggling and with no friends”.

Mr Gow said the unnamed male turned up to Gibson’s home on several occasion with his girlfriend, his girlfriend’s mother and her grandmother.

The court heard the group had been “drinking and taking drugs together” and at “no stage” was Gibson left alone with the male.

The QC said: “It is the accused’s position that there were no sinister motives by [the male] attending at his home on these occasions.”

Sheriff Chris Dickson deliberated for ten minutes before deciding to defer sentence to next month for the preparation of reports and a supervised release order assessment.

Gibson, who appeared in court by video link from HMP Edinburgh, was remanded in custody ahead of sentencing.

Gibson pleaded guilty to breaching a SOPO by failing to inform police he had been in the company of a male without prior approval at his home at Citadel Court, Edinburgh, between November 12 and 18 last year.

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