Trucker who sexually assaulted ten-year-old girl forced to flee his East Lothian home

A TRUCK driver who was forced to flee his home by protesters after admitting to sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl has escaped a jail sentence

Boyd's home, boarded up after he fled

John Boyd forced himself on the youngster by kissing her on the mouth and fondling her after luring the girl into a bedroom at her home.

Boyd, 54, also sent the schoolgirl What’s App messages and texts declaring his love for her and telling her she was “beautiful”.

The serial offender, who has two previous convictions for similar crimes, told his victim he wanted to take her out on dates to the cinema and for her to pretend she was his girlfriend during sordid online chats.

Sex assault: John Boyd at Edinburgh Sheriff Court

And after Boyd pleaded guilty to the sex attack during a court appearance last month he was forced from his home following protests from angry locals.

The house in Prestonpans, East Lothian, was subsequently boarded up to avoid vandalism and remains empty.

The father-of-two returned to the dock for sentencing at Edinburgh Sheriff Court where he was placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for three years.

Sheriff John Mundy said: “I’ve got to look at the protection of the public and also look at the question of your rehabilitation.

“I think that is best achieved by imposing a non-custodial sentence.”

Boyd was placed on a community payback order containing a three year supervision order and ordered to attend appointments with the specialist sex offender organisation CISSO.

Previously the court heard Boyd and his wife were friends of the girl’s mother and he began communicating with the youngster after asking for her phone number.

He sent the girl disturbing messages between June and August last year including one that read “I am in bed dreaming of you”.

And when Boyd and his wife were visiting the girl’s mother in August last year he enticed her upstairs to a bedroom where he lifted her off the ground.

He then squeezed her buttocks, gave her “a long, long kiss” on the mouth and neck and sucked on her bottom lip.

Ms Robertson added: “The accused told the complainer she was a good kisser and then said ‘I will go to jail if you tell as I’m too old’.”

After Boyd and his wife left the home the terrified girl broke down in tears and confessed to her mother what had happened while she had been alone with Boyd and the police were called in.

Jim Stephenson, defending, said despite his client’s previous offending he had now “taken responsibility” for his latest crime.

He said Boyd had recently lost his job as an HGV driver and he was “very fearful” of further reprisals from the local community.

Boyd pleaded guilty to sending written sexual communication to the girl for the purposes of obtaining sexual gratification and stating he would like to kiss her, touch her, ask her to send him photographs of herself, refer to taking her on holiday and making reference to her as his girlfriend at an address in Midlothian between June 28 and August 5 last year.

He also admitted to sexually assaulting the girl placing his arms around her, lifting her body off the ground, squeezing her buttocks and repeatedly kissing her on the mouth and sucking her bottom lip at the same address on August 5 last year.

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