Neighbours who penned a letter to a Fife Sheriff before a sex offender’s sentencing have held a peaceful protest outside his home.
More than a dozen residents at Baxter Road in Crossgates protested outside Nicholas Denison’s house after Sheriff Charles MacNair handed him 300 hours of unpaid work.
Sex offender Denison, 61, had sent indecent images to accounts on social media channel Kik, which he believed were going to 12 and 13 year old girls.
However, the messages were actually directed to decoy accounts used by police officers.
Sheriff MacNair told Dunfermline Sheriff Court on Wednesday he had received a two- page letter signed by residents of the street, calling for him to take their position into account.
However, he said a community disposal would place Denison under supervision for longer than if he imprisoned him.
Safety fears
The letter stated: “The cul-de-sac in which we and Mr Denison reside is a small private cul-de-sac consisting of Mr Denison’s residence and four additional houses.
“We have until recently lived happily and peacefully in the cul-de-sac.
“We have considered it a safe and secure environment to bring up our young families, and being a street with no through traffic, felt it safe for our children to play outside.
“The events of recent weeks have brought this feeling of safety within our own homes to a sudden halt.
“Instead, we have the stress, fear, anxiety and disgust of living metres away from a sex offender who has admitted to targeting young children.”
Many of those who took part in the protest had signed the letter, having heard Denison’s wife had also written to the court previously.
Soon after it began, police arrived at the protest but it remained trouble-free.
The blinds on Denison’s home – where he is believed to live with his wife – remained drawn.
School route
In their letter, residents explained eight children under-14 years old live in the street and Denison’s house looks onto a popular walking route for the local primary school.
They labelled the proximity and position of Denison’s house as “unsettling and unnerving.”
The letter continued: “What is disrupting our ability to live at ease is that we and our children have to pass his door every time we need to leave our enter our own home due to his position.
“How as parents are we supposed to explain Denison’s heinous crimes and the necessary steps to keep them safe without causing fear and alarm to our children.
“We feel Mr Denison’s position of continuing to live amongst his neighbours shows no regard or understanding for the position we now find ourselves in, the severity of his offences or how this impacts on the families that are forced to live beside him.
“We have not committed any crimes but are having to live with the consequences of Denison’s disgusting actions.
“We were a happy, content group of houses and neighbours, now we are left considering how we are supposed to live in this poisonous environment and atmosphere.”
The court heard how Denison accepts he may have to leave his home.
His solicitor claimed it had been hit by eggs.
He maintained his client is not a re-offending risk and the fears of the community are unfounded.
