A “strange looking” Dundee sex attacker who assaulted a schoolboy returning home from football training has had his jail sentence cut.
Judges at the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh reduced Connor Tait’s punishment after ruling a part of the conviction could not be allowed to stand.
Tait, 22, was jailed for four years and ordered to be kept under supervision for a further four years after he was found guilty of committing the attack in Dundee on July 4 2013.
Tait appealed against the conviction and sentence and had his prison term reduced to three-and-a-half years, with the period on licence remaining the same.
Lord Brodie said the appeal judges had decided the original conviction should be quashed and replaced by a more limited one deleting an aggravation to the sexual assault on the boy.
Lady Smith said: “We accept the submission that the deletion from the libel is a significant matter which should be recognised by means of a reduction in the sentence imposed by the sheriff.”
But she added the appeal judges agreed that it would not be appropriate to interfere with the extended part of the sentence imposed by Sheriff Richard Davidson.
The court heard that the victim of the assault had been at training with another 13-year-old youngster.
They crossed over a grassy area as they went home.
The victim said he first noticed Tait earlier at a fish and chip shop and described him following them.
Tait emerged from bushes and started talking to the boy and his friend, but then grabbed him from behind and pulled him towards him and sexually assaulted him.
The victim punched him in the face and broke free and ran off.
His friend had also ran off and heard the victim shouting “help”.
He intended to run to the victim’s home to get help.
In the appeal court decision Lord Brodie said: “The complainer described the appellant as very strange looking.”