A serial sex offender from Angus who was sentenced for five separate offences has been liberated from prison.
Drunken William Whyte harassed females from school to pension-age earlier this year.
After sexually abusing a ambulance worker, a care worker, elderly women at a bus station and a 12-year-old girl, Whyte was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for three years.
Now banned from contact with children, Whyte will return from prison to Angus, where he was warned he must not “revert to his old ways.”
Creepy conduct
Whyte had previously admitted five offences.
They included stumbling into the wrong home in Montrose before sexually harassing the woman who lived there then getting into her 10-year-old daughter’s bed and wetting himself.
He also admitted making lewd comments to an ambulance technician who was helping him in after a drunken fall.
Whyte pled guilty to shouting sexual remarks about women’s bottoms from a bench at Arbroath bus station.
Whyte also admitted sexually assaulting a woman at the North Grimsby complex in Arbroath by smacking her on the buttocks as he walked past.
Finally, he directed a sexual comment at a 12-year-old girl in front of her family as they left Arbroath Wetherspoons after a meal.
As she bent down to pick up a vape, Whyte said: “Nice ass.”
Her mother asked him to repeat the comment, which he did.
She told Whyte the girl was 12, to which Whyte replied: “Well I’m 14.”
Enforced sobriety
Whyte appeared by video link at Forfar Sheriff Court from HMP Perth, where he was remanded.
Solicitor Sarah Russo said: “In relation to all of his offending, he was under the influence of alcohol.
“Mr Whyte’s position is he has little to no recollection of any of his offending behaviour.
“He is someone who has had long-standing issues with alcohol dependency, drinking on a daily basis prior to his remand.
“He’s been on remand since July 7.
“Effectively he has had four months of forced abstinence from alcohol.
“His position is he is motivated to maintain that.
“Mr Whyte appreciates that the only way he’s going to abstain from offending in future is if he maintains abstinence from alcohol.
“He’s someone who will require support going forward.
“His position is he will do whatever it takes to be liberated from prison.
“He is someone who suffers from short-term memory loss.
“There is a brain injury there as a result of long term alcohol abuse.”
Sentenced
Sheriff Derek Reekie imposed a three-year community payback order (CPO) in relation to the incidents involving the bedwetting and the ambulance technician.
This allowed Whyte to be liberated from prison, to an address in Strathairlie Avenue in Arbroath.
The sheriff ordered Whyte, 50, to undertake alcohol treatment as instructed and complete the Tay Project aimed at rehabilitating sex offenders.
He labelled Whyte’s behaviour as “appalling” as he ordered him to register for three years.
Whyte was also banned from unsupervised contact with under-18s.
His CPO will be reviewed on December 7, when he is sentenced for the other matters.
Sheriff Reekie noted the “considerable efforts” social work had made to prepare for Whyte’s release.
“Disturbing, disgusting, offensive” attitude
The sheriff said: “In my view, these offences are serious.
“Individually, collectively – they undoubtedly warrant a custodial sentence.
“All the offences are directed at females.
“Your conduct in my view displays a deeply disturbing, disgusting and deeply offensive attitude towards women.
“It would be entirely open to me to impose a custodial sentence but you’re going to have to be released at some point.
“You directed offensive remarks to an ambulance worker who had been called to attend you when you were in your drunken and injured state.
“Again it was an offensive reference to the woman’s bodily appearance.
“This features in a number of cases.
“It seems to me an unhealthy and disturbing attitude towards females.
“Matters are made worse because in one case your comment of the same nature is directed towards a 12-year-old which is just vile.
“The first case also involved a child being present in her own home.
“If you revert to your old ways, you’re going to be back here.
“I simply stress that you’ve got to take this opportunity.”
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