A shamed Scout master who sent a barrage of disturbing texts and images to teenage boys has been hit with a lifetime ban from the youth organisation, bosses have confirmed.
Sex pest Stephen Gorton hounded four children with lewd and intimate messages.
He was guilty of sending an image of his trousers with a “distinguishable bulge” to one youngster, asked another to meet him at a bottle bank and sent another a photo of himself in the bath.
Perth Sheriff Court heard the 58-year-old’s young victims were left confused, alarmed and scared.
One described him in court as a “weirdo”.
Gorton was placed on the sex offenders register after he was found guilty of charges of sending sexual and indecent communications – which he denied throughout a trial in which the youngsters had to give evidence.
After 15 years with the Scouts organisation, Gorton has been told he will never be allowed back.
Betrayed trust
A spokeswoman for The Scouts said: “The safety of young people in our care is our number one priority.
“We are aware of the court proceedings involving Mr Gorton and we have fully cooperated with the statutory agencies throughout the case.”
She said: “As soon as we were made aware of the arrest, Mr Gorton’s membership with us was cancelled and he will never be allowed to volunteer with us again.
“He betrayed the trust placed in him by young people, parents and the Scout movement.”
She added: “We carry out a stringent vetting of all adults who work with young people and require them to work to a strict code of practice.”
Gorton was leader of the West Perth Explorer Scouts, having previously been involved with other age groups in the movement.
He received the award of Chief Scout’s Commendation for Good Service in the Scouts in 2022.
‘Implausible’ excuses
Sheriff Alison McKay told Gorton she believed his young victims, describing them as “credible and reliable”.
She that the Scout leader’s own evidence was “quite frankly incredible, implausible and self-serving”.
He claimed when one child heard him say “I’m horny” on a phone call, he was actually saying “I can’t hear you” and his words were distorted by faulty Apple AirPods.
He also tried to persuade the court when he told one teenager he was “hard”, he meant he was hardy against the cold weather.
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