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Legal team in deaf sex fiend case praised - Press & Journal
A north legal team has won praise from Scotland’s lord advocate for bringing to justice a sex fiend who preyed on vulnerable deaf children.
Colin Macdonald, 61, was jailed for 12 years last October after High Court judges heard that the former ski-ing and climbing instructor molested and sexually attacked 10 young boys during Highland holidays.
Now the legal team from Lochaber, led by district fiscal Alison Wyllie, has won the prestigious Delivering Justice award, sponsored by Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini, in recognition of its outstanding work in bringing Macdonald to court.
Presenting the award, the lord advocate said it had been a challenging case as 18 witnesses and victims all lived outwith the Highlands and were profoundly deaf, with the majority, including Macdonald, without speech.
It was a case relating to very serious historic sexual abuse of children at the Royal Deaf School in Glasgow and required excellent team work between the fiscal’s staff and police.
The lord advocate said that, following careful planning and preparation, it ran without a hitch, with a jury convicting Macdonald on all 10 charges.
She said: “That in itself is a testament to the professional and efficient manner in which the team prepared and presented this case, and this award formally recognises that.”
In addition to Ms Wyllie, team members from the police and fiscal service were Dougie Burns, Catriona MacLean, Sandra MacIver, Marie Crawford and Kath Harper.
The lord advocate added: “The dedication and commitment shown by all was outstanding and the innovation and good practices used within the case will be used to update staff guidance, training guides and diversity materials. The fact that this case was brought to a successful conclusion, despite the many obstacles and complexities, underlines the expertise of staff within the service and our determination to deliver justice.”
The court heard that Macdonald had been the first deaf person in Britain to obtain a skiing instructor’s licence and also qualified as a mountaineering trainer.
Sentencing him, Lord Malcolm told him: “You sexually abused and assaulted vulnerable deaf children who were entrusted to your care while on expeditions in isolated places far from their homes.”
A north legal team has won praise from Scotland’s lord advocate for bringing to justice a sex fiend who preyed on vulnerable deaf children.
Colin Macdonald, 61, was jailed for 12 years last October after High Court judges heard that the former ski-ing and climbing instructor molested and sexually attacked 10 young boys during Highland holidays.
Now the legal team from Lochaber, led by district fiscal Alison Wyllie, has won the prestigious Delivering Justice award, sponsored by Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini, in recognition of its outstanding work in bringing Macdonald to court.
Presenting the award, the lord advocate said it had been a challenging case as 18 witnesses and victims all lived outwith the Highlands and were profoundly deaf, with the majority, including Macdonald, without speech.
It was a case relating to very serious historic sexual abuse of children at the Royal Deaf School in Glasgow and required excellent team work between the fiscal’s staff and police.
The lord advocate said that, following careful planning and preparation, it ran without a hitch, with a jury convicting Macdonald on all 10 charges.
She said: “That in itself is a testament to the professional and efficient manner in which the team prepared and presented this case, and this award formally recognises that.”
In addition to Ms Wyllie, team members from the police and fiscal service were Dougie Burns, Catriona MacLean, Sandra MacIver, Marie Crawford and Kath Harper.
The lord advocate added: “The dedication and commitment shown by all was outstanding and the innovation and good practices used within the case will be used to update staff guidance, training guides and diversity materials. The fact that this case was brought to a successful conclusion, despite the many obstacles and complexities, underlines the expertise of staff within the service and our determination to deliver justice.”
The court heard that Macdonald had been the first deaf person in Britain to obtain a skiing instructor’s licence and also qualified as a mountaineering trainer.
Sentencing him, Lord Malcolm told him: “You sexually abused and assaulted vulnerable deaf children who were entrusted to your care while on expeditions in isolated places far from their homes.”
