STEPHEN HAMILTON FROM FORGANDENNY FACES SENTENCE IN PERTH FOR HISTORIC SEX OFFENCES

In a case that has spanned several years and involved complex legal proceedings, Stephen Hamilton, a resident of Forgandenny, is set to be sentenced next month for historic sexual offences committed against a teenage girl. The offences, which took place over a year apart, date back to the mid-1990s when Hamilton was 35 years old and his victim was only 15.

These allegations have been under scrutiny at Perth Sheriff Court since September of the previous year, with Hamilton, now aged 59, appearing multiple times as the case progressed. The court had initially scheduled his sentencing on at least three separate occasions, but various delays have postponed the final judgment. At one point, Hamilton, who resides at Stronachie House in Forgandenny, claimed that he believed the girl to be over 16 at the time of the incidents. However, the Crown’s narration clarified that Hamilton was aware she was only 15, which significantly impacted the case.

In an effort to avoid further trauma for the victim, Sheriff Lindsay Foulis deferred the sentencing to allow for a mitigation hearing, although this was not insisted upon. The delays were compounded when Hamilton changed his legal representation, leading to additional postponements. Originally, the court intended to deal with the case in May, but Hamilton’s new solicitor requested an eight-week adjournment to facilitate contact with the victim. Hamilton returned to the dock on a recent Wednesday, where his new legal representative acknowledged the case’s unusual procedural history but confirmed that Hamilton maintained his guilty plea, tendered on September 26, 2017.

A background report on Hamilton was prepared in November of the previous year; however, it was deemed outdated, prompting the court to further delay sentencing until August 8. This extension was granted to allow for the preparation of a supplementary Community Justice Social Work report. Hamilton’s name has already been entered into the Sex Offenders’ Register, and his bail was continued during this period.

Hamilton pleaded guilty to charges of engaging in lewd, indecent, and libidinous practices and behaviors towards the girl on multiple occasions between September 1996 and September 1997. Court proceedings revealed that he would often take the victim out in his car, parking on rural roads, where he began by kissing and touching her inappropriately. Over time, he persuaded her to perform more intimate acts. The prosecution, led by Depute Fiscal Tina Dickie, stated that Hamilton would frequently supply the girl with alcohol and cannabis during these outings, aiming to make her more susceptible to his advances.

The victim kept her ordeal secret for nearly twenty years before confiding in her partner in 2015, bringing these long-standing allegations to light. The case underscores the importance of justice for victims of historic abuse and highlights the ongoing legal processes that seek to address such serious offences.