KILWINNING TEACHER CAMERON MACKENZIE FACES JAIL OVER SEXUAL ASSAULTS ON STUDENTS

In August 2019, a teacher from Kilwinning was convicted of serious sexual misconduct involving pupils during classroom lessons, leading to a potential jail sentence. Cameron MacKenzie, who was employed at a local school in the Three Towns area, was found guilty of two counts of sexual assault against two first-year students, with the incidents occurring between February and March of the previous year.

During the trial, the court heard testimony from eight children, all of whom recounted witnessing MacKenzie behave inappropriately towards female pupils during lessons. The emotional testimonies painted a disturbing picture of the teacher’s conduct, with one girl breaking down in tears as she described how she felt “left damaged” by MacKenzie’s actions when she was only 12 years old. Now aged 14, she recounted an incident where MacKenzie approached her desk and placed his hand in front of her face. Although his hand did not physically touch her face, she described his proximity as “uncomfortably close,” and expressed her discomfort at the encounter.

She also testified that during a different lesson, MacKenzie bent down to whisper to her, and his lips grazed her ear. Under cross-examination, the girl became visibly upset and sobbed as MacKenzie’s defense lawyer, Dale Hughes, attempted to discredit her by suggesting she was lying. Mr Hughes argued that the incidents she described, including touching and grazing her ear, were fabricated because she “just doesn’t like Mr MacKenzie.”

The girl responded emotionally, stating, “That’s not true, I would not go out my way to ruin someone’s life. I’m not making it up, this has damaged me.” After regaining composure, she explained to the court that the experience had profoundly affected her, adding, “This has changed me as a person because of the stress I’ve been put through. It took quite a lot for me to speak about it because I’m scared and I don’t want to be accused of lying.”

Further allegations revealed that MacKenzie had groped the leg of a 13-year-old girl and made inappropriate comments about her body, claiming it was “more developed than other girls her age” during his probationary period at the school. He also warned her about the effects of her period, suggesting she would experience stomach cramps and mood swings, claiming he knew about these because he “had been through it with his own daughter.”

In addition, a student testified that MacKenzie had shown a lenient attitude towards girls, asserting that “girls got more privileges than boys” in his classroom. Despite the overwhelming evidence, MacKenzie denied all charges, claiming that the children had conspired against him because they “took slight umbrage to being disciplined.”

Nevertheless, the jury did not accept his defense and found him guilty of two counts of sexual assault. A third charge was considered but resulted in a verdict of not proven. MacKenzie is now required to register on the Sex Offender’s Register within three days and is scheduled to return to court in October for sentencing proceedings.