A high-risk sex offender attacked police officers after a missing girl was discovered in his Fife home.
James Haggerty admitted harbouring the 16-year-old at an address in Glenrothes shortly after he was released from prison.
He received a backdated jail sentence at Dundee Sheriff Court in June 2024 after breaching the terms of his Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO).
However, the same court heard how there was no evidence of “sinister” behaviour relating to the girl, who had been reported missing from residential care.
Police in Fife launched an appeal to find the teen on December 30 last year and detectives received information on January 1 Haggerty had been spotted with her on Hogmanay.
Legal threats
Fiscal depute Nicola Caira said: “The accused was contacted and he was annoyed at officers attending at his door.
“He was threatening lawyers to stop police in the search for the child.”
Messages and phone calls were made to Haggerty by officers and he eventually admitted the child was in his address on Julian Road.
Haggerty claimed he was working in Edinburgh at the time but later told police on a call that he could “see them”.
Ms Caira said: “When the accused was informed that police would be affecting entry, he became abusive towards them and threatened to assault them and put bricks through police vehicle windows.”
The teenager and another child were found within the home.
Police assault
Haggerty returned to the property and made a “beeline” for police while walking towards them with “combative body language”.
He ran away from officers before being chased and eventually apprehended.
Haggerty, who had been remanded at HMP Perth, admitted three separate charges of assaulting police officers and resisting arrest as well as harbouring the child.
Solicitor advocate Lee Qumsieh said Haggerty, who is still subject to a post-custody supervised release order, had been approached by the girl at Glenrothes bus station.
Mr Qumsieh said: “He did not know this girl and she approached him and asked if she could use his mobile phone.
“She advised him that she had left a residential care home to run away.
“His position is at that stage, he was encouraging her to go home but accepts he allowed her to attend at his address.
“He accepts he should have known better because he went through the care system for all those years and should not have been assisting her.”
‘Nothing sinister’
Mr Qumsieh said there was no evidence of anything being “untoward” and this was confirmed by the Crown after Sheriff Alastair Carmichael asked if there had been “anything sinister going on”.
Haggerty was described in a report as being a “very high risk” sex offender.
As an alternative to custody, Haggerty was placed on a restriction of liberty order for six months which will keep him indoors between 7pm and 7am.
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