JOHN HARDING SENTENCED IN SHEILAND AND ABERDEEN CASES FOR SEXUAL AND STALKING OFFENSES
A 46-year-old man named John Harding has been sentenced to 15 months in prison after being found guilty of stalking a girl under 18, following a jury trial at Lerwick Sheriff Court.Harding, whose address was listed as Grampian Prison, was also issued a seven-year non-harassment order.
The jury reached their verdict on Wednesday after a two-day trial, confirming Harding’s involvement in a series of distressing conduct between 22 April and 16 August at various locations across Shetland.
He was convicted of repeatedly attempting to contact her, visiting her residence uninvited, giving her unwanted gifts, and sending her social media messages.
Harding also manipulated physical contact through repeated hugs and kisses on the head, along with sending numerous letters.
His prison sentence was backdated to 3 May, the day he was initially remanded into custody.
The court also heard details from Harding’s earlier history: in 2004, he was 30 years old when he drilled holes in the walls of a girl’s home to watch her undress and shower.
The Aberdeen High Court learned that Harding’s obsession had escalated when he lured the girl, now aged 17, from her work with the false promise of a driving lesson.
He then took her to a remote caravan on Shetland, where he expressed his desire to "set her free" and claimed it was his dream to "do things with her." The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, managed to escape and sought refuge in a nearby house after Harding had been spying on her since she was nine.
Yesterday, Harding admitted to a breach of peace involving incidents between January 1996 and September 2003, as well as detaining the girl against her will in September of the previous year.
Lord Abernethy postponed sentencing to allow for background reports.
Prosecutor Mark Stewart recounted that on 21 September, Harding picked up the girl from her workplace to take her for a driving lesson, but then drove her to an industrial estate against her wishes, ignoring her pleas to go home.
Mr.
Stewart described how Harding expressed inappropriate thoughts about her, making her increasingly scared.
When she tried to escape, Harding persuaded her to stay by false promises of taking her home.
During the 30-mile drive to a remote caravan, he threw her mobile phone out of the car to prevent her from calling for help.
The girl attempted to open the car door and escape but was restrained by Harding, who held her arm and told her to go to sleep.
He then took her inside the caravan, where he cuddled and kissed her on the forehead, making statements such as he wanted to "set her free" and was dreaming of doing things with her.
The court heard that the girl believed Harding intended to have sex with her, which caused her to feel "abject terror." When Harding unfastened his trousers, she ran from the caravan across rough terrain and reached a nearby house, where she was described as "shaking uncontrollably and pleading for help." Harding was later arrested and admitted to having an obsession with her, recalling he had derived sexual gratification from watching her in the bathroom in the past while she was living in Lerwick.
Harding, who was released on bail, is scheduled to be sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow on 27 July.
