BRANDEN MCCORMACK FROM FIFE JAILED FOR MOBILE PHONE BREACH AT KIRKCALDY TRAIN STATION
A well-known serial sex offender from Fife has been sentenced to prison after violating a court-imposed restriction on his mobile phone usage.Brendan McCormack, who has a history of sexual offences, claimed that his mother had given him the device just a day before he was caught using it without informing the authorities.
Under the terms of his court order, McCormack was required to notify social workers of any device capable of accessing the internet or sending messages.
Despite this, he used an illicit phone on multiple occasions to access social media accounts, which led to his arrest and subsequent conviction.
During proceedings at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court, fiscal depute Lora Apostolova explained that these restrictions had been in place for over two and a half years.
McCormack, who was in custody at Perth at the time, admitted to breaching a sexual offences prevention order that had been imposed at Dunfermline Sheriff Court back in June 2018.
The breaches occurred on various occasions between February and April of the previous year, specifically at Kirkcaldy train station and at an address within the town.
Ms.
Apostolova detailed that on February 24, 2021, the Facebook Messenger application was used on the phone, with interactions recorded between McCormack’s account and another.
Following this, there was a gap of more than two weeks before the phone was used again on March 15, and then again on March 28.
The final date of use was recorded as the day the police recovered the device.
When questioned, McCormack stated that he intended to inform his social worker about the phone, claiming he had received it from his mother the previous day, April 2, 2021.
McCormack’s criminal history includes a December 2018 conviction for smuggling an underage girl into his hostel.
He had previously been prohibited from having unsupervised contact with females under 16 without appropriate supervision.
His record also includes two prior convictions related to sexual activity with minors, which led to his placement under an interim sexual offences prevention order in June 2018.
Shortly after, he began a relationship with a vulnerable 15-year-old girl, taking her to his accommodation at the Wash Project in Glenrothes.
He was found guilty of breaching the court order on two separate occasions by a jury, resulting in an 18-month prison sentence and an additional nine months of supervised release.
During the hearing, solicitor Russel McPhate, representing McCormack, expressed that his client felt frustrated by the restrictions placed upon him, which he believed prevented him from living a life similar to his peers.
McPhate explained that McCormack had a mobile phone that police had previously confiscated for unrelated reasons.
He had been attempting to retrieve it without success and, like many young people, wanted to communicate with friends via social media.
According to McPhate, McCormack borrowed a phone from his mother after she found herself unable to use it, and he managed to get it working again.
The solicitor emphasized that McCormack was aware of the need to adhere to the conditions and recognized that any further trouble would result in additional restrictions.
Sheriff Elizabeth McFarlane clarified that McCormack was not banned from owning or using a phone or the internet, but he was required to inform social workers about any devices he possessed.
She pointed out that dishonesty would not help his case.
Ultimately, she sentenced McCormack to 16 months in prison for his breaches.
