SHAUN BORRETT: TRANENT SEX PREDATOR SENTENCED FOR DECADES OF CHILD ABUSE IN EAST LOTHIAN

In March 2019, a disturbing case unfolded involving Shaun Borrett, a former bus driver from Tranent, East Lothian, who was convicted of a series of heinous sexual offenses against children spanning over two decades. The court heard how Borrett, aged 42 at the time, had systematically targeted young boys and girls as young as five, engaging in a pattern of abuse that persisted from the mid-1990s into the 2010s.

During the trial at the High Court in Edinburgh, it was revealed that Borrett’s predatory behavior included not only sexual assault and rape but also physical violence, such as punching and kicking victims on their genitals. He would lure children with gifts like video games, consoles, sweets, and treats, using these as tools to manipulate and maintain control over his victims. Some children were shown pornography and coerced into participating in sexual acts with other children, illustrating the calculated and manipulative nature of his crimes.

The court was informed that four children had been raped by Borrett, with some victims subjected to repeated abuse over several years. The judge, Lord Beckett, condemned Borrett’s actions, stating, “You used alcohol and cigarettes as inducements and to dull the senses of the children you were abusing.” The judge emphasized the significance of the fact that Borrett’s offending began when he was a young man and continued into middle age, highlighting the long duration and escalation of his criminal behavior.

Lord Beckett described Borrett as “highly manipulative” and noted that he exploited the vulnerabilities of his victims, causing lasting psychological damage. The judge pointed out that Borrett continued to deny his guilt despite the jury’s verdicts, showing no remorse or insight into the harm he caused. “You have shown yourself to be a risk-taker, a manipulator, a psychological coercer, and a serious and persistent abuser of children over a period of 24 years,” he stated.

As a result of his convictions, Borrett was sentenced to an Order for Lifelong Restriction (OLR), with a minimum term of seven and a half years before he could apply for parole. Lord Beckett clarified that release was not guaranteed at the end of this period, and Borrett would only be freed if parole authorities determined that it was no longer necessary to protect the public.

Previously residing in Tranent, Borrett had denied multiple charges related to his offenses in East Lothian. However, he was found guilty of 12 charges, including indecent behavior, sexual assault, and rape. During the trial, Borrett admitted that in April of that year, he had begun drinking heavily and taking pills in an apparent attempt to commit suicide following an argument about allegations made by a man accusing him of abusing a victim as a child.

He recounted how he drove over the Lammermuir Hills into England, intending to escape, but was found by a man at a layby who took him to a medical facility. Borrett claimed that his life was over because of the accusations against him, asserting, “I am not lying. They are.” He insisted he had never threatened or harmed any child, stating, “I wouldn’t touch any child. I have never, ever threatened any child in my life.”

Prosecutor Margaret Barron pointed out to Borrett that fleeing might be an attempt to evade justice, to which he responded, “I know why I did it.” One of his victims, an 18-year-old who testified during the eight-day trial, revealed that his mother had told him Borrett had “run away,” which made him realize he needed to come forward. The young man explained that he had kept quiet about his abuse for years, only speaking to a girlfriend last year out of fear of embarrassment and bullying. He recounted being raped and abused by Borrett when he was just 10 years old, witnessing Borrett carry out sex acts with another boy still in primary school.

The timeline of Borrett’s offending began when he was a teenager, targeting a boy aged five to seven, whom he coerced into performing sex acts and indecently touched between 1994 and 1997. The following year, he molested a 14-year-old at a pub in Tranent. Between 2001 and 2006, he abused and repeatedly raped a girl aged between seven and 11. His pattern of abuse extended to boys as well, including an eight-year-old whom he began abusing in 2007, later orally raping him. Other victims included a boy aged eight, whom Borrett raped and punched between 2015 and the following year, and another boy aged nine to eleven, who was molested, punched, kicked, and induced to participate in sex acts with other children.

Additional victims included a 10-year-old threatened with being tied naked to a lamppost, and a boy aged seven to eight who was sexually assaulted, touched, and kicked on the genitals. Borrett’s defense team, led by Ian Duguid QC, argued that he was considered an outcast within the community and that he was a first-time offender. They urged the court to avoid an indeterminate sentence, noting that Borrett was assessed as posing a medium risk. Despite this, he was placed on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely and remanded in custody pending sentencing, with a background report to be prepared for the upcoming hearing in the new year.