GARY TRAVERS'S SHOCKING SEX OFFENDER BEHAVIOR IN MOODIESBURN AND ADDIEWELL PRISON

In August 2021, a disturbing incident involving Gary Travers, a well-known sex offender from Moodiesburn, came to light during a court hearing in Scotland. The case revealed a series of alarming behaviors that have marked Travers's long history of sexual misconduct, culminating in a recent episode at HMP Addiewell that left a female prison guard both shocked and distressed.

According to court records, Travers, aged 46 at the time, was found guilty of performing an indecent act in front of a female prison officer while he was confined in his cell at HMP Addiewell. The incident reportedly took place on August 25, 2019, and was witnessed by the officer, who had been working at the facility for only four months. The court heard that the prison was in a routine state, with cell doors open for breakfast, and the female guard was engaged in her duties, working on her emails at her desk when she noticed Travers's unsettling behavior.

The officer, who was only 22 years old at the time, described how Travers had been staring at her in a manner she found 'offputting.' She recounted that she and a male colleague had asked Travers to stop his inappropriate staring, but once she was alone again, his gaze persisted. She observed Travers sitting on the top bunk of his cell, with his back against the wall. Suddenly, she saw him put his hand down his jogging bottoms and touch his genitals while maintaining direct eye contact with her. The situation escalated as Travers then got onto his knees, began masturbating, and exposed himself fully, with his trousers at his knees and no underwear, revealing his penis.

The guard described the act as lasting approximately a minute, during which Travers continued to smile. After finishing, he jumped off the bed, picked up toilet paper, and dried his hands. The female officer and her male colleague confronted Travers immediately afterward. Despite their presence, Travers appeared to act as if nothing had happened, showing no remorse or acknowledgment of his actions.

When questioned about her feelings regarding the incident, the officer expressed that she felt 'very uncomfortable, embarrassed, and disgusting,' adding that the experience was 'quite intimidating.' She firmly maintained that she saw what Travers was doing from her position, only about three meters away from his cell, with the door slightly ajar, making her account clear and credible. The court was told that Travers denied any wrongdoing, and his legal representation questioned why he would commit such an act openly, especially with his cell door open and other prisoners potentially passing by.

The jury, after deliberation, returned a majority verdict of guilty against Travers. The court also heard that Travers had a history of sexual offenses, including an incident in Moodiesburn, Lanarkshire, on April 25 of the previous year, where he was convicted of masturbating in front of a teenage girl. This pattern of behavior underscores his persistent and high-risk nature as a sex offender.

In sentencing, Sheriff David Young imposed a 26-month prison term and ordered Travers to be placed on the sex offenders' register for ten years. The sheriff emphasized that although neither victim suffered physical injury, both were significantly distressed by Travers's actions. He stated, 'The prison officer had no choice but to remain at her place of work given her duties. You took advantage of this.'

Travers's criminal record is extensive, with convictions dating back to 1996. His offenses include acts such as damaging security lights outside a woman's house and breaching a 10-year curfew imposed after previous convictions. Notably, in 2017, he was sentenced to two years in prison for breaching a sex offenders prevention order. A clinical psychologist has described Travers as 'a persistent, high-risk sex offender,' highlighting the ongoing danger he poses to the public. His criminal history also includes a 2013 incident where he threw a cup of urine over Sheriff John Rafferty and other court officials at Glasgow High Court, further illustrating his pattern of disruptive and dangerous behavior.