A 61-year-old Angus man must pay thousands to compensate women he molested on a farm near Dundee when they were girls.
Derek Strachan targeted the two girls, then aged just seven and eight, over a three-month period in 1984.
Strachan, of Woodside near Kirriemuir, was employed as a farm hand when he carried out the assaults.
His victims only recently came to the police and reported his crimes.
Having previously admitted behaving in a lewd, indecent and libidinous manner, Strachan returned to Dundee Sheriff Court to be sentenced.
‘He was particularly immature’
Strachan’s solicitor Kris Gilmartin said: “I would suggest that there is an alternative to a custodial disposal.
“He has no previous convictions and no subsequent convictions.
“He is assessed as being low risk of reoffending.
“It is a peculiar case.
“He was particularly immature. He was less able to exercise good judgement.
“There’s a clear lack of consequential thinking.”
Mr Gilmartin said Strachan had a “relatively unremarkable” childhood and despite leaving school with good qualifications, moved into fruit picking due to struggling socially.
He explained his regretful and remorseful client has had access to children since and has never acted this way again.
“He’s lived with this for 40 years. It’s an isolated situation.”
Sentenced
Sheriff Gregor Murray ordered Strachan to pay each victim £6,600 in compensation.
Strachan will be supervised for three years and spend the same amount of time on the Sex Offenders Register.
He must also complete 200 hours of unpaid work, reduced from the maximum sentence because of his early plea.
A condition Strachan must complete the Moving Forward: Making Changes project to rehabilitate sex offenders was also imposed.
The sheriff said the harm Strachan caused was “long-lasting… permanent… emotional and physical.”
He noted Strachan was considered low-risk, had not offended otherwise and had shown “significant remorse”
The sheriff added: “You’re in a fortunate position where you’re able to pay compensation.”
First victim
Depute fiscal Lora Apostolova previously told the court: “The complainer was seven and sitting on the sofa.
“The accused asked her to kiss him.
“The accused said he was ‘teaching’ her.
“He placed his hand on her private parts.”
She said he then exposed himself to her
“He told her ‘this is our special thing, that we don’t need to tell anyone about’.”
Second complainer
Ms Apostolova continued: “The second complainer was also sitting on a sofa (when she was assaulted).
“He asked when he touched her ‘does that feel nice’?”
She said he committed a sex act in front of her.
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