Inappropriate sexual behaviour towards minors

TWO Shetland teenagers were placed on the sex offenders register at Lerwick Sheriff Court over their inappropriate behaviour towards young girls.

Sixteen year old James Leaper, of 14 Maidenfield, Mossbank, pled guilty to making verbal and written sexual comments to an 11 year old girl between 1 July and 21 October last year at Lerwick’s Harbour Street and elsewhere.

He also admitted offering to supply the same girl with cannabis on 1 or 2 September last year.

Defence agent Tommy Allan said Leaper was immature and lacked self esteem and had tried to make up for it by trying to impress people with acts of bravado.

Mr Allan added that even though he had been encouraged to act this way, it was “blindingly obvious” his actions were inappropriate. Despite this he posed no underlying risk to young people.

His agent said Leaper had been excluded from school as a result of the offences, but had been co-operating with various agencies to help him with his personal issues and continuing his education to find employment.

Sheriff Philip Mann told Leaper he was old enough to understand his actions were “entirely wrong and inappropriate”, and warned that such behaviour could have “a long lasting effect on young females”.

Sentencing him to 240 hours community service and a one year supervised community payback order, the sheriff added: “Offering to supply an 11 year old is serious in the extreme. I shudder to think what might have happened if she had accepted that offer.”

The sheriff also handed a nine month supervised community payback order without unpaid work to 17 year old Declan Harrison-Ames, of New Craigielea, Seafield Road, Lerwick.

The teenager pled guilty to sexually assaulting three girls aged 13 and 14 by touching them sexually, and making sexual comments to one of the 14 year olds.

The offences took place on Lerwick’s Commercial Street and Viking Bus Station between 20 December and 14 January.

However the court heard that Harrison-Ames suffered from a condition that substantially mitigated his actions, and that the offences had not been “overtly sexual”.

Both men must remain on the sex offenders register for the length of their community payback orders.

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