EAST KILBRIDE THUGS ROSS JONES AND SCOTT LAUGHLIN SENTENCED AFTER SICK SEXUAL ATTACK ON 13-YEAR-OLD GIRL

In March 2019, two men from East Kilbride were convicted and sentenced following a disturbing sexual assault and robbery involving a 13-year-old girl in an underpass. Hamilton Sheriff Court heard that the girl was subjected to a horrifying attack where her private parts were fondled, and she was forced to perform a sex act. Sheriff Alasdair MacFadyen described the incident as a "dreadful ordeal" that ended only when a brave passer-by intervened.

Ross Jones, 20, pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting the girl near Rothesay Street on October 19. His accomplice, Scott Laughlin, 24, admitted to assaulting the boy and making threats to stab the teenagers.

The court was told that the two teenagers had been followed late at night, around 11 pm, as they approached the town centre to meet a family friend. During the attack, Laughlin grabbed the boy by the throat, demanding their phones. The boy was pushed to the ground and beaten, while Jones took the girl up a set of stairs, indecently assaulted her, and coerced her into participating in a sex act. Semen was later recovered from her jacket sleeve.

According to prosecutor Michelle Brannagan, Laughlin continued assaulting the boy and dismissed the ongoing violence as "none of (his) business." He further demanded the phones and threatened to stab the youths, leading the victims to hand over cash, headphones, and their phones out of fear. At one point, the girl managed to snatch her phone back, but Jones responded by choking her threatening her life if she didn’t comply.

A man walking home from work witnessed the assault and tried to intervene. Jones warned him to stay out of it, claiming "it’s business," but the man stepped in to shield the victims, allowing the boy to escape. Interestingly, Laughlin apologized to the girl for the assault on her cousin, and Jones returned her phone. The boy managed to run home, fearing repercussions, and begged his mother not to call the police, whispering, "don’t call the police or they’ll come back and kill me." He was later taken to hospital with a swollen and bruised face.

Police recovered the boy’s phone near the scene and CCTV footage confirmed the presence of both men nearby. The court was also told that both offenders had prior convictions for violence and disorder.

Jones received a sentence of 44 months in prison and was placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely, while Laughlin was sentenced to 20 months.

Sheriff MacFadyen commended the passer-by for trying to "minimise the dreadful experience the cousins were subjected to" and criticized the offenders for their conduct, saying, "Your conduct was quite appalling. Your attempt to hide behind a partial loss of memory due to intoxication does you no credit."