Prison for Burmese takeaway man

A BURMESE national was sent to prison for almost seven months for making sexual remarks to young children and being in possession of a false passport, when he appeared from custody before Lerwick Sheriff Court, on Wednesday morning.

Sai Lon, described as a prisoner at Craiginches, was put on the sex offenders register for seven years.

He will also have to face the immigration authorities in relation to his status in the UK, and his application for political asylum.

The 31 year old father of two had admitted making sexual remarks to three 13 year old boys within hearing distance of a 12 year old girl and boy, at Scalloway’s Castle Café, between 1 December and 17 January.

Lon had arrived in Shetland last November on a false Taiwanese passport having fled his home country after being tortured by the Burmese authorities for taking part in street protests.

On Wednesday, his defence solicitor Gregor Kelly conceded that sheriff Graeme Napier had little option other than to send his client to prison.

He said Lon had been under a great deal of stress when the offences were committed, and his client wanted to apologise to those affected by his behaviour.

Sheriff Graeme Napier took some time to explain, through an interpreter, how he had arrived at the sentencing after it became clear that Lon was confused by what exactly was happening during Wednesday’s court hearing.

The sheriff said that he could send Lon to prison for up to 12 months for the sexual offences, while the possession of a false passport charge carried a maximum penalty of £10,000 and six months in prison.

At the end he jailed Lon for 140 days on the charges of making sexual remarks, backdated to the 24 January, the day he was taken into custody.

He sentenced him to a further 60 days for possessing a false passport, making it a total of 200 days in prison.