Yahoo News Scots sex offender numbers soar as prisons struggle to cope
A soaring number of jailed sex offenders are putting pressure on the already troubled prison system. The Sunday Mail has received data which shows one in four inmates was sentenced over a sexual offence.
The Police Scotland figures reveal 2050 are behind bars out of a total prison population of about 8241. It lumps extra pressure on overcrowded jails as they must be kept separate from the main prison population, often in segregated accommodation.
The number of sex offenders in jail has risen by 28 per cent in the last two years, from 1625. One reason is the growing number of historical sex abuse cases investigated by police and successfully prosecuted.
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But many of those jailed are men in their 70s and 80s, which is causing further problems as they often have medical issues such as dementia, can be wheelchair users, and require washing, dressing or feeding.
Some 477 prisoners were let out early in June and July under an emergency scheme to relieve overcrowding but sex offenders and domestic abusers were exempted.
In July, Scotland recorded its highest-ever number of registered sex offenders, 7120 – up from 4787 in 2015. One former Scottish Prison Service officer said: “Sex offenders are a major problem for the prison system and always have been.
“They are considered the lowest of the low by other criminals and become an easy target for acts of violence, particularly if their offences involve children. In the past, they tended to be a small minority but now they are one of the largest groups of offenders and can be found in every jail in Scotland.”
Earlier this month, it was reported that child killer Aaron Campbell, 22, will be guarded by three prison officers round the clock when he’s moved to an adult jail due to fears of reprisal attacks. Campbell was convicted of raping and murdering Alesha MacPhail, six, in Rothesay, Bute, in July 2018, and placed on the sex offenders’ register for life.
He was also given a life term and must serve 24 years before he can be considered for release. He was due to be moved from Polmont Young Offenders Institution, near Falkirk, to Glenochil prison, Clackmannanshire, to see out the rest of his sentence.
Other sex offenders who have caused issues for prison chiefs include rapist Isla Bryson, 32, who was convicted in 2023 of abusing two women while identifying as Adam Graham.
In July, at the High Court in Glasgow, ex-footballer Ian Heddle, 61, was given four years after filming himself molesting a girl, eight, in Thailand. When the ex-St Johnstone and Dunfermline midfielder was arrested at Edinburgh Airport, police found 272,936 obscene photos and 4001 videos on his devices.
Police Scotland said: “Sexual reoffending rates of Registered Sex Offenders remain very low and we want to reassure communities all reasonable and appropriate steps are being taken to protect them.”
Zoe Lambourne, of Edinburgh-based Childlight Global Child Safety Institute, said: “We’re in the grip of a hidden pandemic, with an estimated 1.8million UK people sexually abusing and exploiting children online – enough to fill Hampden Park 35 times over.”
An SPS spokesman said: “We have a population which is rising rapidly and increasingly complex, with many groups requiring to be accommodated separately from others.
“That includes a growing number with convictions for sexual offences, some of whom are older and therefore need support with health and social care, and accessibility.”
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