“WORST KIND” CHILD ABUSER WALKED FREE AFTER HORROR OFFENCES AGAINST VULNERABLE CHILD
A CONVICTED child sex offender who admitted carrying out repeated sexual abuse against a vulnerable child avoided jail despite a court hearing the offences were of the “worst kind”.Duncan Wood, formerly of The Steading Cottage, Pearsie near Kirriemuir, admitted a series of sexual offences committed against a young child over a ten-month period between 2005 and 2006.
The case, heard at Forfar Sheriff Court in 2007, involved multiple incidents of sexual violence described by investigators as deeply disturbing and a major breach of safety within the local community.
Despite the severity of the offences, Wood escaped custody.
Instead, the court placed him on probation for three years and ordered him to complete 150 hours of community service.
The court also placed him on the Sex Offenders Register for just three years — a decision that has since sparked outrage and renewed debate over sentencing laws for child sex offenders.
At the time, Tayside Police stated that forensic and testimonial evidence confirmed a repeated pattern of abuse against the child victim.
The prosecution reportedly described the offences as predatory in nature, while the court acknowledged the crimes were among the most serious category of sexual offending involving a child.
Critics have now questioned how a man convicted of repeated sexual abuse against a child was able to remain living in the community instead of serving a prison sentence.
According to the information circulated online, Wood is now believed to be associated with a barber shop in The Roods area of Kirriemuir.
The case has reignited calls for mandatory minimum prison sentences for offenders convicted of repeated sexual offences against children.
Campaigners argue that allowing serious offenders to avoid custody undermines public confidence in the justice system and fails to properly protect children.
One question now being raised publicly is simple: How can offences described as the “worst kind” against a child result in probation instead of prison?
