STEPHEN MURRAY, CHARITY VOLUNTEER IN SOUTH QUEENSFERRY, SENTENCED FOR SEXUAL ASSAULTS ON TEENAGERS
A charity volunteer who sexually assaulted three teenage boys now faces a potential jail sentence.Stephen Murray, 50, assaulted the boys on separate occasions while they stayed at his former home in South Queensferry.
Murray had invited the teenagers, aged 16 and 14, to sleep over at his flat.
During their stay, he entered their bedrooms secretly and climbed into their beds.
He then kissed and groped the teenagers, who were reportedly petrified and pretended to be asleep during the attacks.
The victims, who are unable to be identified due to legal restrictions, were so frightened by the assaults that they did not tell anyone about what happened for several years.
Eventually, one of the victims bravely came forward and provided a statement to the police, which led the other two to also disclose their experiences.
Murray pleaded guilty in Edinburgh Sheriff Court to three sexual assault charges involving the teenage boys.
According to details presented in court, Murray’s social media profile indicates he is a volunteer with the International Fire and Rescue Association charity, which supports emergency services in developing nations.
He also lists himself as an RAF reservist, a sessional medic, and a home carer for his family.
Prosecutor Alan Wickham explained that Murray, a widower, initially contacted his first victim through a private Facebook message after learning of a relative’s death.
Murray expressed sympathy, claiming he understood what the boy was going through due to his own recent loss of his wife, and sent the boy gifts through the post.
The first victim was invited to stay at Murray’s home after Murray invited him to an event at Knockhill Racing Circuit in Fife in April 2014.
During this visit, they had dinner and watched TV before the boy went to bed around midnight, with Murray promising to sleep on the couch.
That night, the boy heard the bedroom door open and saw Murray slip into bed with him.
Murray then tickled his ears and performed a sex act, while the boy pretended to be asleep and did not report the incident immediately.
The same boy was assaulted again six months later.
He stayed at Murray’s house presuming he would sleep alone, but Murray again crept into his room, kissed him, and fondled his genitals while the boy was asleep.
The victim told police he did not reveal the incidents earlier because he was terrified, and he recalled Murray apologizing the following morning, saying, "Sorry for getting into bed but I was cold and had come through for heat." The victim also recounted being assaulted a second time at an address in Ayrshire.
A third teenager was similarly attacked at Murray’s South Queensferry home in January 2015 after agreeing to stay overnight.
The assaults only came to light in January 2019 when one of the victims contacted the police.
Sheriff Nigel Ross ordered Murray to register as a sex offender and delayed sentencing to later this year.
Murray was released on bail.
Murray admitted to sexually assaulting two teenage boys at residences in South Queensferry and Ayrshire between April 1, 2014, and January 31, 2015.
Additionally, he confessed to engaging in sexual activity with a 14-year-old boy by rubbing his leg and touching his genitals over his clothing at the South Queensferry address during January 2015.
