Court / Sex offender avoids jail

A MAN who admitted sexually assaulting two teenage girls has been given a community payback order.

John Masterman, of Leaside, Mossbank, will have to undertake 270 hours of unpaid work, while placed under supervision for two years.

The 40-year-old will also be under a 7pm to 7am curfew for eight months and be subject to sex offenders notification requirements for five years.

He previously admitted intentionally or recklessly touching two girls, one aged 16 at the time and the other 14.

The first offence was committed against a female teenager, who he worked with at a Lerwick restaurant, took place between 1 and 31 August 2018.

The second offence was committed against a girl aged under the age of 16 in her family home on various occasions between 1 January and 22 June 2021.

Masterman appeared at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Thursday after sentencing had previously been deferred four times.

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Sheriff Olga Pasportnikov presided over the case from Elgin via videolink.

Defence agent Tommy Allan said a psychological report highlighted that Masterman was deemed to be at relatively low risk of reoffending.

He also said his client was deemed appropriate for a non-custodial sentence.

Sheriff Pasportnikov questioned if Masterman has “distanced himself’ from some of his offending, but Allan said he took full responsibility for the charges he pleaded guilty to.

Handing out the community payback order, she said Masterman’s sentence should reflect punishment as well as rehabilitation.

Sheriff Pasportnikov was standing in for Lerwick’s resident sheriff Ian Cruickshank who previously said he did not feel he was in a position to pass sentence after Masterman successfully appealed his decision to initially remand him in custody.