Great-grandfather molested two girls

Published 19 Jan 2012 08:00

AN 83-year-old Tillicoultry great-grandfather has been jailed after sexually molesting two little girls.

A judge rejected a bid to keep first offender Matthew Fagan out of prison because of his age ahead of sentencing him for the sex crimes.

Lord Pentland said, "You stand convicted now by the verdicts of the jury of two offences of serious sexual abuse of children."

The judge said at the High Court in Edinburgh that because of the seriousness of the convictions he was not persuaded to continue bail for the child molester.

Fagan's defence counsel Lorenzo Alonzi had asked for the pensioner to be kept out of prison while a background report is prepared on him before sentencing next month.

But Lord Pentland asked whether a custodial sentence was not inevitable given the gravity of the charges and told Fagan that he had in mind jailing him.

The former miner had denied committing a series of sex offences at houses in his home town.

He was found guilty of indecency offences against two girls, but was acquitted of the attempted rape of one of them and of abusing a third girl on not proven verdicts.

Twice-married Fagan, of Elmwood Avenue, Tillicoultry, abused one primary school pupil more than 15 years ago and committed sex acts against the child.

He also used indecent behaviour to another child between 1999 and 2003, beginning when she was aged three, on two occasions.

Fagan claimed he had never touched the second girl in his life, but the victim said he had taken her hand and placed it on him.

He told the court that he had put his penis against the other girl but said, "She asked me to do that."

Fagan said he had played tickling games and incy wincey spider with the child while babysitting the girl, but maintained there was no sexual inclination in his behaviour.

He was put on the sex offenders' register.

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This article appeared in Alloa & Hillfoots Advertiser 18 Jan 12

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