GORDON MACKENZIE'S SHOCKING SEXUAL ASSAULT AT JOHNSTONE SCHOOL: A DISTURBING INCIDENT IN RENFREWSHIRE

In January 2019, a disturbing case involving a man named Gordon MacKenzie from Johnstone has brought to light a serious incident of sexual misconduct at a local school. The incident, which occurred during an after-school event, involved MacKenzie, who was on a short-term community education placement at the time, targeting a teenage girl in a public setting within the school premises.

On June 14 of the previous year, MacKenzie, aged 45 and residing on Spateston Road in Johnstone, was accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl in the school’s dinner hall. The girl, whose identity is protected for legal reasons, was standing in a queue for food when MacKenzie allegedly approached her from behind and engaged in inappropriate physical contact. According to her testimony, she was in the queue with her friends, waiting for the food prepared for the event, and did not speak to MacKenzie during the incident.

The girl described the assault in court, stating, “He touched me, Gordon, on my bum, with his hands. I could feel his fingers and that.” She explained that she was wearing her school uniform, specifically her school skirt, and that the contact lasted only about five seconds. She further added, “He was rubbing it.” The girl also recounted feeling uncomfortable and confused during the incident, noting that her friends were mouthing to her from across the room, asking if what they saw was real. She confirmed to the court that she knew what she saw, despite her friends’ attempts to clarify whether they might have been mistaken.

During the proceedings, the girl was questioned by the prosecuting officer, Procurator Fiscal Depute Claire Rowan. She described how she felt when the assault happened and how her friends witnessed the event. The girl emphasized that MacKenzie did not speak to her before, during, or after the incident, and she did not confront him at the time. Instead, she looked to her friends for reassurance, and they confirmed their observations.

Following the report of the incident to the police, MacKenzie was detained and charged with sexual assault. The case was brought before Paisley Sheriff Court, where MacKenzie faced the charges. The court heard evidence from the girl, who testified behind a screen to avoid seeing her attacker, and from her friends who corroborated her account.

Sheriff David Pender found MacKenzie guilty of sexually assaulting the girl by placing his hand on her buttocks, an act that contravened Section 3 of the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009. The sheriff ordered background reports to be prepared and adjourned the case for sentencing. During the proceedings, it was revealed that MacKenzie was experiencing personal difficulties, which influenced the decision to avoid immediate imprisonment.

When the case resumed, MacKenzie was sentenced to a Community Payback Order, which will see him supervised by social workers for a period of nine months. Additionally, he will be registered on the Sex Offenders’ Register for the same duration. Notably, the order did not include any unpaid work component, meaning that MacKenzie was not subjected to a punitive punishment part for the offence, and he effectively went unpunished in terms of community service or other sanctions.

This incident highlights the serious concerns surrounding inappropriate conduct in educational environments and the importance of safeguarding measures to protect vulnerable students from exploitation and abuse. MacKenzie’s actions, which took place in a public and supervised setting, have caused distress and raised questions about the oversight and safety protocols at the school during the event.