GUY EVANS FROM FIFE AND STIRLING SENTENCED FOR CHILD SEX OFFENSES IN GLASGOW AND EDINBURGH

In a disturbing case that highlights the dangers of online predators, Guy Evans, a 35-year-old man from Cupar, Fife, has been sentenced to a total of four and a half years in prison for a series of heinous crimes involving a minor. The offences came to light after Evans engaged in a predatory scheme that targeted a 13-year-old girl he met through an internet chatroom.

Evans, who was also found to possess a significant collection of child pornography, was convicted at the High Court in Glasgow. The court heard that he had contacted the young girl via an online platform, where he posed as a 34-year-old from the Stirling area, under the username “Guy1.” After establishing communication, Evans arranged to meet the girl in person, which he did in Musselburgh, East Lothian.

According to court records, Evans picked up the girl in his work van and drove her to a secluded lay-by. There, he subjected her to sexual acts against her will. The assault was only discovered after the teenager’s school staff became concerned about her behavior, prompting an investigation that eventually led to Evans’s arrest.

During the proceedings, the court was informed that Evans had contacted the girl in January 2003, and she had provided him with her mobile number. The predator then drove her to the lay-by between Wallyford and Tranent, off the A1 Edinburgh to Newcastle road, where the assault took place. After the incident, he returned her to a supermarket in Musselburgh, where she was dropped off.

In addition to the sexual assault, Evans was found to have a collection of 171 sexually explicit images of children stored on his computer. These images had been accumulated over a period of more than a year, indicating a sustained pattern of illegal activity. The court noted that Evans’s possession of such material was a separate offence, for which he received an 18-month sentence to run consecutively with his prison term for the sexual crimes.

Evans initially faced charges of abducting and indecently assaulting the girl, but these were later dropped after the Crown accepted his pleas of not guilty to those specific allegations. Instead, he admitted to using lewd, indecent, and libidinous practices towards the girl, and he was subsequently placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register.

Further investigations revealed that Evans had also engaged in similar illegal activities at his former residence in Bannockburn, Stirling, between July 2002 and June 2003, where he possessed and created indecent images of children.

His criminal activities extended beyond the initial incident. In a separate case in October 2011, Evans, then residing in Plean, Stirling, was sentenced to five years and three months after being convicted of online grooming and possession of indecent images of children. This followed an attempt by Evans to meet what he believed was a 14-year-old girl, who was actually an undercover police officer.

Detective Inspector Barry Blair of Central Scotland Police commented on the case, emphasizing the importance of collaborative efforts in safeguarding children. He stated, “Through close collaborative working we have managed to ensure children are safer.”

Overall, Guy Evans’s criminal conduct has resulted in significant prison time, reflecting the serious nature of his offences and the ongoing efforts of law enforcement to combat online child exploitation.