A former Shetland primary school teacher has been jailed for 30 months after molesting six of his pupils in their classroom more than a decade ago.
Stephen Tait, who previously taught in Fife, was also added to the sex offenders register for life following a trial that convicted the 41-year-old of six charges of lewd, indecent and libidinous behaviour.
Today, Sheriff Ian Wallace described his offending at Bell’s Brae Primary School in Lerwick as “ongoing, planned behaviour against children”.
He told the serial sex offender: “It was made more serious in that it was committed by you, a teacher, against young children who were in your care.
“It was a serious breach of trust and the seriousness of it and the potential harm caused would have been obvious to you.
“The evidence against you was clear and compelling and the jury returned a unanimous verdict of guilty.”
‘Actions like yours also harm the teaching profession’
Sheriff Wallace found Tait’s victims, who gave evidence against him, “to be admirably robust” and who have managed to “continue with their lives”.
“Their responses to your offending during evidence was measures,” he said, adding: “Nevertheless, your actions will continue to have an impact on them.”
Sheriff Wallace continued: “Actions like yours also harm the teaching profession and offending like yours impacts those who work in that profession, children who attend school and parents who send their children to school.
“I’m satisfied that a custodial sentence is appropriate.”
Sheriff Wallace sentenced Tait, of St Albans Road, Lytham, St Annes, to 30 months imprisonment and placed him on the sex offenders register for life.
Disgraced teacher’s offending was a ‘serious breach of trust’ his lawyer said
Tait’s defence solicitor Colin Neilson had earlier told the court that his client’s offending was “serious for a number of reasons … not least the breach of trust” and the impact on his victims, which he said would be “lasting”.
“Though hopefully, they will be able to go on to live productive lives,” he added.
Mr Neilson said Tait had been living “a rather isolated existence” and that it had been 12 years since his last conviction in 2012.
“Mr Tait accepts that it’s inevitable that a custodial sentence will be imposed today and perhaps that will be sufficient,” the solicitor told the court before he was sentenced.
In February, a jury at Peterhead Sheriff Court took just 30 minutes to convict Tait on all six charges of lewd, indecent and libidinous behaviour towards six boys.
Fiscal depute Ruaridh McAllister had urged the jury to find Tait guilty, telling jurors the accused had taken advantage of his power and authority as the boys’ teacher and had managed to “inveigle” his way into their lives.
Mr McAllister said: “He sexually abused these boys. It took place when they were aged eight and nine and they did not fully feel the magnitude of what had taken place until later when they were adults.
“Stephen Tait wants you to think they were all lying to you, but the only person lying in this court is Stephen Tait.
“It took the spark of one boy coming forward in 2020 and going to the police.
“At the time they thought Tait’s behaviour was a bit weird but, looking back on it as adults, realised it wasn’t right.
“Tait gained their trust and friendship by being the cool, fun new teacher – but a far more sinister picture emerged.
Sinister Stephen Tait manipulated boys who trusted him
“He manipulated these boys and they trusted him. There is no hint or any logical explanation as to why they are lying about this.
“They are telling their truth with the benefit of hindsight and growing up. They were abused by this man.”
The former probationary teacher at Bell’s Brae Primary School in Lerwick was found guilty of touching the six boys sexually and forcing some to remove their clothes.
One was molested on the private parts and several spoke of being stroked or caressed on the bottom while they stood at his desk.
Tait also bought swimming trunks and forced one child to put them on while they were alone together in a classroom cupboard and made the boys discuss “intimate and personal” details about their bodies.
All six victims, who cannot be named, gave evidence either in person, via a pre-recorded video, or remotely from Lerwick.
The jury of four women and eleven men found Tait guilty of all six charges by unanimous decision.
After the verdict was returned, it was revealed that in 2012 Tait was convicted of sexually assaulting two boys, aged six and seven, while he was a teacher in Fife.
And in 2013 he was convicted at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court after 57 indecent images of children were found on his computer.
The court was told his offences on Shetland pre-dated those crimes.
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