April 2015 No remorse from jailed paedophile A man found guilty of charges of child indecency at Dunoon Sheriff Court in January has been sentenced to two years imprisonment and placed on the sex offender’s register indefinitely. Trevor Malcolm Cole (above), a former Furnace driving instructor, was found guilty by majority jury in January on seven charges of child indecency relating to offences against boys aged between seven and 13 The 57-year-old was back in court today, Thursday, in Greenock for sentencing by Sheriff Ward, after a criminal justice and social work (cjsw) report and a psychiatric report were made available. Defence counsel Mr McCallum described the author of the cjsw (Criminal Justice Social Work Report) report as having a ‘very narrow, negative, attitude’, since Mr Cole continued to claim his innocence. He said that had been Mr Cole’s attitude throughout the trial and it was ‘unfair’ of the author to take a negative view of someone who simply maintained his position. He told Sheriff Ward that Mr Cole was a man in ‘the later years of his life’ and ‘not in the best of health’, asking him to impose as moderate a sentence as appropriate. Sentencing Sheriff Ward addressed Mr Cole, saying: “You were found guilty by a jury of a catalogue of offences against sometimes vulnerable children over a long period of time. There was an element of planning involved. You committed a breach of trust…. and you have shown no remorse. There is no alternative way of dealing with you other than imprisonment.” Mr Cole was sentenced to two years imprisonment on: Charge 1, 18 months for each of charges 3, 6, 9 and 10, nine months for charge 7 and 12 months for charge 11, to be served concurrently and backdated to 29 January when he was first remanded in custody. There will also be an extended sentence of two years on licence and he was placed on the sex offender’s register for an indefinite period. Mr Cole originally faced 12 charges relating to offences against boys aged between seven and 13. Three of the charges were dropped during the trial. One offence took place in 2004, the rest between 2011 and 2013. One of the victims was from Tarbert, where Mr Cole used to live – the rest from the Loch Fyne-side village of Furnace. Mr Cole denied all charges, claiming none of the alleged events took place and that the boys and some of their parents had conspired to fabricate allegations. Jurors heard evidence over seven days at Dunoon Sheriff Court, taking a full day to consider its verdict. January 2015 Pervert found guilty on seven charges of child indecency A former Furnace driving instructor was found guilty by majority jury at his trial at Dunoon Sheriff Court today (Thursday) on seven charges of child indecency, found not guilty on one charge with another not proven. Trevor Malcolm Cole (57, above), now living in Cambridgeshire, originally faced 12 charges relating to offences against boys aged between seven and 13 Three of the charges were dropped during the trial. One offence took place in 2004, the rest between 2011 and 2013 One of the young victims was from Tarbert, where Mr Cole used to live – the rest from the Loch Fyne-side village of Furnace. Mr Cole denied all charges, claiming none of the events took place and that the boys and some of their parents had conspired to fabricate allegations. The court heard that three of the boys, all from Furnace, were sexually assaulted on an isolated forest track opposite the nearby Auchindrain Township Museum while being taught to drive. One boy said that Cole had invited him to watch porn videos with him while Cole exposed himself and others said Cole had tried to expose or touch their private parts. The youngsters gave evidence via a video link. One dad said: “Cole was head of the parent council at the local school, and was always taking photos of kids. “We always thought it must be to do with the school or whatever, and although he came across as a bit weird, no one though he would be capable of this. “It has been a year from hell for everyone concerned. “He totally abused his position of trust in the worst possible way and it has had a horrific effect on the whole village. “I hope that he is sent to prison for a long time when he is sentenced. “When he was on bail before the trial, he was still walking around the village like he didn’t have a care in the world. “His victims were left terrified every time they saw him wandering around. “He abused kids in his car and in his home when his partner was on night shift.” Sheffield-born Cole’s live-in girlfriend has now returned to England. Following the guilty verdict, Sheriff Thomas Ward told the court he believed his sentencing powers were not adequate to deal with Cole. The maximum sentence Sheriff Ward could hand down was five years, so he referred the case to the High Court for sentencing,
which will take place on March 9. Cole had lived in Scotland for at least nine years before his crimes were discovered. They came to light after some of his victims were overheard discussing calling Childline about one of their friends who they said had “been raped” by Cole. Parents then spoke to the victims and were horrified to learn what Cole had done to them. He was able to get away with the abuse as it is legal for under-17s to have driving lessons as long as they are not on public roads. The miles of deserted forest tracks in the area near his home gave him the perfect opportunity to get youngsters alone. Defending, Lorraine Glancy QC insisted that Cole was innocent of all charges and that the boys were all telling lies. Procurator fiscal David Glancy (no relation) said that Cole’s behaviour was ‘a catalogue of inappropriate conduct towards these boys for his own sexual gratification’. Jurors heard evidence over seven days at Dunoon Sheriff Court, taking a full day to consider their verdict. Addressing Mr Cole Sheriff Thomas Ward said: “You have been found guilty of a vast catalogue of offences against young boys against a background of compelling evidence.” Sentencing will take place on March 8 after criminal justice and social work and psychiatric reports are compiled. Cole was remanded in custody until then. On Cole’s website, he offered driving lessons for £24 an hour as well as a range of learner packages. He boasted of having passed the Approved Driving Instructor qualification in 2011 and said he used a Citroen DS3, praised by Jeremy Clarkson as being “the best small car you can buy at present”.