LEON PEDLEY SCANDAL IN ABERDEEN: SEX OFFENDER'S REPEATED BREACHES AT THE HEART OF SCOTLAND

Leon Pedley, a man with a troubling history of sexual offenses, has once again found himself at the center of legal scrutiny in Aberdeen. The details emerged during a court session at Aberdeen Sheriff Court, revealing that Pedley, aged 32, has been clandestinely engaging with women in the city despite being under strict restrictions due to his past convictions.

Pedley's criminal record is severe. In 2012, he was convicted of a heinous sexual assault involving a teenage girl in Stranraer. The court heard that he was sentenced to seven years in prison for raping the young girl and subsequently leaving her tied to a tree, an act that marked him as one of Scotland’s most serious sex offenders. His past actions have cast a long shadow over his current conduct, which has now come under further scrutiny.

The court was informed that Pedley had violated the terms of his sex offenders prevention order (SOPO) by engaging in online interactions with women under false pretenses. Specifically, he used a fake name on a dating website to meet women, an act that directly contravened the restrictions placed upon him. Further, he arranged to meet one woman in Aberdeen, but the situation became more complicated when she brought along a friend. Pedley failed to disclose this detail to the police, which constituted a clear breach of his SOPO.

Additional details revealed that Pedley had been involved in similar conduct earlier in the year. He had engaged in online conversations with women and failed to report these interactions to his monitoring officers, breaching the conditions of his supervision. On May 31, Pedley contacted the police following a dispute with a woman over money after a date. This incident led him to go to Union Street, where he admitted to officers that he had arranged to meet a woman and was aware that she had brought a friend along. However, he did not inform his monitoring officers about this arrangement, further violating the terms of his release conditions.

Police investigations uncovered that Pedley had offered money to the first woman in exchange for sex. The woman explained that she had brought her friend for safety reasons and had informed Pedley of this beforehand. Despite this, Pedley spent several hours with the two women at various locations around Aberdeen, including a restaurant, without reporting these meetings to the authorities. This behavior was a direct breach of his SOPO, which is designed to prevent him from engaging in such interactions.

Pedley ultimately pleaded guilty to breaching his SOPO without a reasonable excuse. During the court proceedings, his defense team acknowledged that Pedley believed he was a victim during the incident and expressed remorse for socializing with young women. Nevertheless, the sheriff was clear in his judgment, sentencing Pedley to 16 months in custody. The court emphasized the seriousness of his violations and underscored the importance of strict adherence to the restrictions imposed on him to prevent further breaches or potential harm to others.

As the case concludes, it serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing challenges in monitoring and managing individuals with a history of sexual offenses, especially when they continue to breach legal restrictions in public spaces like Aberdeen.