A shamed teacher posed as a lawyer in a bid to send child abuse fantasy letters to a jailed paedophile he had met behind bars.
Robert Lightband was previously a respected history teacher at Menzieshill High School in Dundee.
But he is facing a lengthy jail term after attempting to defraud prison guards at Perth into passing a 14-page document containing “graphic and distressing” descriptions of the abuse of children to convicted paedophile Jason Jordan.
Serial sex offender Jordan was last year put on a lifelong restriction order and ordered to spend at least four years in jail after being caught in possession of child abuse material.
Lightband – who was jailed last year for downloading indecent images of children – wrote “legal correspondence” on the front of his letter, which purported to come from an Edinburgh law firm called Goodwin Moir, because letters between solicitors and their clients are not usually opened by jail staff for confidentiality.
But prison guards were suspicious because the “legal correspondence” line was hand written and the letter was not franked as legal letters usually are.
An investigation revealed there was no such firm as Goodwin Moir so the letter was opened.
Inside they found a two-page letter purporting to be from “Robert Lightband solicitor”.
More disturbingly, a 12-page document was attached in which Lightband spelled out depraved fantasies to Jordan, who the court heard he had “acquainted” in Perth Prison’s sex offender unit.
A court insider said: “The letter was far too graphic to be read in court. It shocked the prison staff, police and prosecutors alike with its content.”
Depute fiscal Vicki Bell told Dundee Sheriff Court that Lightband had been released from jail in May last year, and confessed he had immediately began downloading child sexual abuse images once released.
She said: “The accused’s laptop was seized under the terms of his sexual offences prevention order.
“When he was detained he said ‘there will be stuff you don’t like on the computer’.
“He freely admitted downloading indecent images since May 16, when he was released from prison.”
Lightband, 70, a prisoner at Perth, pleaded guilty on indictment to charges of attempted fraud committed on September 29 last year and breaching a sexual offences prevention order.
Sheriff Alastair Carmichael deferred sentence until next month for social work background reports and remanded Lightband in custody.
