Dundee Church Warden Jailed for Sexual Abuse of Young Girl

By Alan Wilson
The Courier
May 16, 2013

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/news/local/dundee/dundee-church-warden-jailed-for-sexual-abuse-of-young-girl-1.93901

A church warden who preyed on an eight-year-old girl over a near two-year period – sexually abusing her twice – has been jailed for 16 months.

Neil Morton attacked the girl in a bedroom at his home in Dundee.

The abuse only came to light after the girl told her parents.

She later told police that Morton was “doing things that were wrong”.

And in a victim impact statement submitted to the court, the girl said she had been left “confused, embarrassed, scared and vulnerable” by the attacks.

Morton’s lawyer pleaded for him to be spared prison – and said he could be “better treated” on a community order.

But a sheriff told him a jail term was “unavoidable” for his “gross breach of trust”.

Depute fiscal Nicola Gillespie told Dundee Sheriff Court: “On Tuesday November 13 last year the girl was informed she would be staying at the accused’s house that weekend.

“The girl made a comment about not wanting to sleep there. She was asked about this but initially denied that anything had happened to her. She then stated that the accused had done things to her but became upset and would say no more about it.

“This was reported to the police and a joint interview was carried out,” said the depute fiscal. “She gave a clear account of what had happened to her.

“She stated that she knew why she was spoken to ‘cause he was doing things that were wrong’.

“She was asked what he was doing and initially she was reluctant to say but then said he was doing something she didn’t like. She said Morton had come into her room and got into her bed.”

Miss Gillespie then described the sex acts Morton had carried out on the girl.

She added: “She said she was eight when this happened and that the second time it happened she told him that she didn’t like it and it had not happened again.”

Morton, 65, of Pitroddie Gardens, Dundee, pleaded guilty on indictment to a charge of sexually assaulting the girl on two occasions between December 1 2010 and July 12 2012.

Jack Brown, defending, said Morton was “truly remorseful”.

He said: “There was no physical injury to the girl though it is acknowledged that the psychological and emotional damage is perhaps immeasurable.”

Sheriff Richard Davidson jailed Morton for 16 months, ordered him to be monitored on his release for two years on an extended sentence, and put him on the sex offenders register for 10 years.

He said: “It is impossible to overstate the harm that you have done to this girl and the rest of her family in general. I can’t have children thinking this could happen to them without the appropriate punishment being imposed.”