STUART JOHNSTON FROM ARDS AND MILLSILE STILL A DANGER TO WOMEN, JUDGE RULES

In July 2018, a court decision reaffirmed that Stuart Lee Johnston, a man from Millisle with previous convictions, remains a significant threat to female safety despite efforts to remove his name from the sex offenders register.

Judge Piers Grant dismissed Johnston's application to have his name erased from the register, emphasizing that the offender continues to pose a serious risk of sexual harm. The judge described Johnston as a liar who shows no remorse or insight into his past actions, which include a brutal attack on a teenage girl over two decades ago.

During the hearing, Judge Grant highlighted Johnston's uncooperative attitude and his resentful stance towards court orders. He pointed out that Johnston’s willingness to lie and mislead whenever given the chance is strong evidence that he remains a danger to the community. The court’s assessment was clear: Johnston’s behavior and attitude suggest he has not changed and continues to pose a threat.

Johnston, who was residing in Ards at the time of his 1995 conviction, was found guilty of raping and indecently assaulting a 17-year-old girl. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison for these crimes. The court also revealed that Johnston had two other sexual offence convictions: one for unlawful carnage knowledge involving a 14-year-old girl in 1995, and another for indecent assault on a 14-year-old boy in 1987.

Throughout the proceedings, Johnston sat quietly in the public gallery, listening intently to the judge’s ruling. When the decision was made against him, he reacted with visible frustration, storming out of the courtroom and banging the door against the wall as he left, displaying his displeasure at the outcome.