DALE HENDERSON FROM WINDYGATES JAILED AFTER PUBLIC BUS SEX ACT IN FIFE

In September 2018, Dale Henderson, a resident of William Street in East Wemyss, was sentenced to six months in jail at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court after admitting to committing a sexual act in public on a bus traveling between Kirkcaldy and Leven. The incident occurred on May 22, when Henderson, aged 28, was returning home from a rehabilitation program called Moving Forward Making Changes, which is designed to help sex offenders address their behaviors.

During the court proceedings, it was revealed that Henderson had previously served a 10-month sentence in April of the previous year for exposing himself to two 11-year-old girls while working as a store assistant in Windygates. Additionally, he had been convicted of possessing child abuse images, for which he was given probation. Despite these prior convictions, Henderson was participating in the treatment program, which his defense solicitor, David Bell, argued was a step toward rehabilitation and believed would help address his offending behavior.

However, Sheriff Grant McCulloch was unequivocal in his judgment, describing Henderson as a “danger to the public.” The sheriff ordered Henderson to sign the sex offenders register for the next ten years and emphasized the seriousness of his repeated offending. Sheriff McCulloch stated, “There is a significant issue which needs to be addressed and that is that you keep offending and doing so by offending of a sexual nature in the presence of young female children. This particular offence took place on a bus when they were sitting across from you. They were clearly there so you cannot pretend that they weren’t.”

The sheriff further expressed concern over Henderson’s recent behavior, noting that he had only recently begun to understand the potential impact of his actions on victims. He condemned Henderson’s conduct as shameful, degrading, embarrassing, and frightening for the victims. The fact that the offence occurred while Henderson was attending the treatment program and after being released and recalled in relation to his previous prison sentence was viewed as particularly aggravating. Sheriff McCulloch highlighted that while treatment can reduce the likelihood of reoffending, public protection must take precedence.

In a related incident from April 2017, Henderson, then aged 27, was convicted of exposing himself to two young schoolgirls in Windygates. The girls, aged 11, had stopped at a local shop to buy sweets when Henderson, working behind the counter, pulled down his trousers, exposing his genitals intentionally. The girls were visibly alarmed and left immediately, with one texting her mother about the distressing event. The mother advised her to inform the headteacher, who then directed the family to contact the police.

Henderson denied the exposure charge, claiming he was not wearing boxers that day, but the court found him guilty after the girls testified. Henderson’s prior conviction for possessing child abuse images was also considered, and he was sentenced to ten months in prison, with half to be served behind bars. He was ordered to register as a sex offender for ten years. The court commended the bravery of the victims for their courage in court, and a family member of one of the girls expressed outrage that the Windygates store, which employs many children, was knowingly operating with a convicted paedophile without proper supervision.