Sex offender had Perthshire break after disappearing from his home

A sex offender who disappeared from his home in the Outer Hebrides was enjoying a holiday in Perthshire.

Under the terms of the Sexual Offences Act, Hugh Nicolson should have notified the police of his travel arrangements but failed to let the authorities know that he had travelled from his home in Leonard Place, Daliburgh, South Uist to the Comrie Holiday Park in July last year.

The 69-year-old former merchant seaman had been jailed for seven years at the High Court in Edinburgh in 2006 for abusing children over more than a decade.

Over a period of 15 years, Nicolson who lived in Stornoway at the time abused boys and girls aged between four and seven.

The High Court was told that Nicolson’s victims had kept silent for years and continued to be troubled by his actions into adulthood.

At Perth Sheriff Court on Monday, Nicolson pleaded guilty to the offence, which related to his stay at the holiday park between July 24 and August 1 last year.

He also admitted failing to appear court for a hearing on December 12. Nicolson was jailed for three months and fined £900.