A 60-year-old Fife man convicted of sexual offences against three young girls, including molesting one from the age of ten, has been jailed for 18 months.
Michael Saint, of Charles Way South, Limekilns, repeatedly asked one of the girls to model for him and made sexual comments to her from when she was aged 12.
He was found guilty by a jury of six charges of a sexual nature during a trial at Dunfermline Sheriff Court last month.
Attacked young children
On various occasions between January 1 2012 and July 14 2015 he repeatedly stroked a girl’s leg and repeatedly touched her chest.
The girl was aged ten when the abuse started.
When she was 13, Saint began directing sexual comments to her about her appearance and body and other remarks of a sexual nature.
He offered to buy her clothes if she allowed him to touch her.
The indecent communication took place on various occasions over a period of nine months.
Saint also communicated indecently with another girl, starting when she was 12, by sending sexual written communications on various occasions.
He repeatedly asked her to model for him, discussed her underwear, asked her to wear a bikini and made sexualised comments to her.
This behaviour went on from late April 2020 to early March 2021.
The indecent communication charges concerning both girls state the offending was carried out by Saint intentionally and for the purposes of obtaining sexual gratification or of humiliating, distressing or alarming them.
Saint was found guilty of a sixth charge of communicating indecently with a young woman by sending her messages of a sexual nature on various occasions between December 8 2019 and March 5 2021.
A charge he communicated indecently with another woman was found not proven.
First offender but still jailed
Saint reappeared in the dock last week for sentencing.
Defence lawyer Aime Allan said her client maintains his innocence.
The court heard previously Saint had been in full-time employment but lost his job as a result of the allegations.
Sheriff Charles Macnair said: “You are a first offender but in my view that is little mitigation for an offence of this nature.
“Having regard to the gravity of the offending I am drawn to the conclusion there is no appropriate disposal other than a custodial sentence.”
Sheriff Macnair jailed Saint for 18 months, which he said was the minimum appropriate sentence.
The sheriff added: “Had you a (criminal) record it would have been significantly longer than that”.
An indefinite non-harassment order concerning all three of his victims was also imposed.
Saint has already been placed on the Sex Offenders Register.
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