A LOSSIEMOUTH MAN who had been unable to appear at the High Court in Glasgow earlier this year on historical sex charges has been found guilty after a four-day trial in Elgin.
Stanley Sandison had been excused from appearing in Glasgow earlier this year after the court was told that at 24-stone he was ‘morbidly obese’ and physically unable to attend.
Sandison was facing charges in relation to sex attacks against young people that dated back to between 1964 and 1976, including an allegation that he raped a girl when she was aged between eight and 15.
The 68-year-old faced a special sitting of the High Court over four days in Elgin this week where a jury took just over an hour to find him guilty of six separate charges.
Sandison, of Forth Place, had originally faced nine charges but three were withdrawn by the Crown. The court heard that the former distillery worker committed his first offence in the mid-1960’s and they continued into the early 1970’s against five different children.
Presiding over the trial, Lord Turnbull told Sandison that the charges under which he was convicted “reflect serious sexual abuse” and were an appalling breach of trust. He added that Sandison had shown no hint of remorse or understanding of the impact of his conduct.
Lord Turnbull dismissed an argument from Sandison’s defence that he not be remanded in custody until his sentencing, saying that he suffered health issues and lived in a specially adapted home. Advocate Bill Adam added that Sandison “even needed help getting into and out of bed”.
Sandison was refused bail and warned that he was facing a prison sentence. He is now expected to appear for sentencing at the High Court in Glasgow at the end of August.