Two teenage girls who gave evidence in the trial against a Fife paedophile have been praised for their bravery.
Pervert Sandy Izatt, who was a taekwondo instructor in Glenrothes before he was arrested, was sentenced to a community payback order with two years supervision after he was convicted of abusing the girls in January last year, having plied them with booze.
Fife Rape and Sexual Assault Centre (FRASAC) said the sentence was insufficient and 46-year-old Izatt, of Buckhaven, should have been jailed.
A relative of one of the girls, who were just 13 when they were abused, said the trial at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court had been a “harrowing” ordeal for them but Izatt’s conviction was a relief.
“It’s taken two years to get to court for these two girls,” said the relative.
“They were very brave and very well prepared because they’d had some counselling.
“All they wanted was for him to be found guilty and to be believed.
“It was harrowing but the court was excellent because they were able to give evidence by a video link.
“They wanted to say that this happened and we got him found guilty. They have some pride in themselves that they stood up and said this was what happened and they weren’t going to back down.”
Izatt was convicted of sexually assaulting the teenagers after a trial at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court.
He had previously pled guilty to a charge of culpably and recklessly supplying alcohol to the girls.
The relative said Izatt changed his story after initially confessing.
She added: “Initially he admitted to what he had done and said he wasn’t going to take the girls to court and then he changed his mind.
“It’s not something two 15-year-old girls should have to do – to tell a room full of strangers about what happened to them.”
Izatt, who has been put on the sex offenders register for two years, was said to have mental health problems.
FRASAC manager Jan Swan said: “Mental health is taken into consideration but this is still a serious crime against two 13-year-olds.”
She described the sentence given to Izatt as “massively disappointing”.
Ms Swan added: “Until the courts take these things seriously and hand out stronger sentences, I don’t know what is ever going to stop this from happening.
“It’s really disappointing he got a supervision order. Is that going to be a deterrent for him?
“I think he should have done some custodial sentence for a crime against two 13-year-old kids.
“There needs to be more custodial sentences for crimes like this.”
