Youth had underage sex

[Nwicker60]

Law is there to protect young girls said sheriff

A TEENAGER, who had illicit sex, was told by a sheriff that the law was there to protect young girls.
Connor Thomson and the 13-year-old had intercourse after planning to meet, secretly, Wick Sheriff Court heard yesterday. Their relationship had resumed after "a cooling off period".
The girl lied to her parents telling them that she was having an overnight stay with a friend in Thurso. Instead she travelled to Wick on August 18, and met up with Thomson who is 18. They stayed at a difference address from his own one, in the town where they had consensual sex, on a couch, after the householders went to bed.
Next day, the girl’s mother discovered the deception and the police became involved. Solicitor Neil Wilson said that the offence was not “a spur of the moment act” and it was clear there had been planning.
Sheriff Andrew Berry, who saw a background report, said there was no question of Thomson being considered as a predator or a danger to anyone but, his behaviour was nevertheless wrong and the incident should not have occurred. The sheriff expressed regret that someone who appeared to have a bright future had done something which could affect him for a long time to come.
Thomson, of 14 Macleod Road, Wick, was ordered to carry out 100 hours unpaid work to be completed in six months during which he will be under supervision.

Festive peace broken

THE peace and goodwill of Christmas was broken when jobless Gary Bell fell out with a reveller in a Caithness village and slashed the tyres of his van.
Bell, 29, previously admitted the vandalism and possessing a knife in public, on indictment, and was ordered to carry out 133 hours of unpaid work in the community.
The court was told yesterday, that Bell, of 2 Calder Square, Castletown, had attended a festive gathering of family and friends, round the corner from his home, last year.He had been drinking and argued with one of the guests, but left the house and returned soon afterwards with a kitchen knife which he used to slash the four tyres on the guest’s transit van.
Sheriff Berry stressed that had the knife not been restricted to the damage, a custodial sentence would have been on the cards.
In addition to the community work, Bell who has a record, was ordered to pay the van owner compensation of £368.