DOUGLAS MCARTHUR MILLPORT PIPE BAND SEX OFFENDER SHOCKS COMMUNITY

In a case that has sent shockwaves through the small community of Millport, Douglas McArthur, the respected leader of the Millport Pipe Band, was convicted of sexually assaulting a teenage girl, a member of his own band. The incident, which took place in August 2013, has highlighted issues of trust, betrayal, and the devastating impact of abuse within close-knit communities.

According to court proceedings, the young victim, Ashleigh, who was only 16 at the time, bravely came forward to recount the traumatic experience. She revealed that McArthur, 47, who she had regarded as a father figure, assaulted her after giving her a lift to the ferry terminal at Cumbrae in Millport. The assault occurred after a band fundraising event, during which McArthur, dressed in full Highland regalia, engaged in inappropriate physical contact. Ashleigh described how he groped her chest and placed his hand under her kilt, actions that left her terrified and frozen in shock.

She recounted her feelings of disbelief and horror at the moment, explaining, “When he started touching me, I just froze. I couldn’t get my head around what was happening. It was horrifying. He tried to make it OK in his own head by making a joke about it. He and his partner were due to have a new baby any day, and he talked about it. I think that was emotional blackmail.”

Ashleigh, a sixth-year student at Largs Academy, expressed her sense of betrayal, stating, “I saw Mr. McArthur as a father figure because I didn’t have a father figure of my own. It’s abusing his trust. It’s a betrayal. He was in that position yet was willing to do that. When I got home, I went to my room and I was shaking and crying. He’s sick. It’s like he’s got no heart.”

Despite admitting to the inappropriate contact, McArthur, who also serves as a watch commander in the Millport volunteer fire brigade, initially denied the allegations but later claimed it was a mistake. Following the incident, he sent Ashleigh a series of texts apologizing for his “mistake and misunderstanding” and expressing that he missed her. However, during the court trial, McArthur’s demeanor shifted, and he turned against the victim, attempting to shift blame onto her. Ashleigh tearfully described how she concealed the assault from her family to avoid causing them distress, revealing the emotional toll the incident took on her.

Her mother, Lindy, who was also a member of the band, confronted McArthur after Ashleigh confided in her. Drum Sergeant George Lynch, aged 52, recounted the confrontation, stating, “I confronted him and he denied it at first, stuttering and stammering, then he admitted he’d made a terrible mistake. He just said it was the worst thing he had ever done. I was shocked and disgusted by it and I wanted him to stand down immediately. I said to him that he’s breached the trust of a pipe major. I put five years into that band and it’s all been destroyed by that.”

Following the conviction, McArthur resigned from the band and is currently under investigation by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. Sheriff Iona McDonald addressed the court, emphasizing that the victim’s account was clear: “Your evidence was she was coming on to you but she was clear she looked on you as a father figure.”

In her statement, Ashleigh expressed her hope that sharing her story would encourage others who have suffered similar abuse to come forward. She also voiced her suspicion that McArthur may have been planning to target another victim, based on his behavior after the assault. “I could tell he was going to do it to someone else because of the way he behaved after doing it to me. But it’s made me more determined to show him for who he actually is and not who he pretends to be.”

She issued a warning to others, urging victims of sexual predators to report incidents to the police promptly. “Go to the police before it gets out of hand. The longer you leave it, the worse it gets. For me, it was hard giving a statement, but when I left the police station, the weight just lifted off me.”

In a related case from December 2013, McArthur was found guilty of similar charges. The court heard that he assaulted a teenage girl in his car after a band event at Cumbrae Slip. The girl, also 16 at the time, described how McArthur, who she looked up to as a father figure, touched her inappropriately and made lewd comments. She testified that he put his hand up her kilt and felt her shorts, claiming she was cheating. After the incident, he hugged and kissed her on the cheek, which she found shocking and upsetting.

The girl’s mother expressed her disbelief and betrayal, revealing that her daughter had changed behavior and was reluctant to talk about what happened. When she confronted McArthur, he initially denied the allegations but later admitted to making a mistake, claiming his hand had slipped down her bra and that he had misread her signals. The court sentenced McArthur to be placed on the sex offenders’ register immediately, marking a significant step in addressing the abuse within the community of Millport.