GREENOCK MAN THOMAS COLE JAILED FOR SEX ASSAULTS ON CHILDREN
A GREENOCK man who sexually assaulted two young children tried to pin the blame on his victims, a court has heard.Thomas Cole was jailed for the horrific abuse after a sheriff slammed his attempts to ‘minimise’ his behaviour.
The 53-year-old targeted one of his victims over the course of nearly three years.
Cole’s lawyer said his client was ‘deeply ashamed’ of his behaviour and ‘cannot believe’ he could be capable of such disgusting behaviour.
But Sheriff James Varney told Cole that prison was the only appropriate sentence.
Cole was sentenced at Greenock Sheriff Court after pleading guilty in February to two indictment charges.
He confessed to targeting one child on six or seven occasions between January 2021 and December 2023 by repeatedly touching their private parts through their clothing, and touching their tongue with his own.
Cole assaulted his second victim on a single occasion in June 2023, again repeatedly touching them on their private parts through their clothing.
Court papers state that both children were under the age of 13 when the offences were committed.
Cole had been remanded in custody following his guilty pleas, with Sheriff Varney asking that a background social work report be prepared in advance of his sentencing.
At the latest calling of the case, defence advocate Charles Ferguson told the court that his client had shown ‘real acceptance’ of his wrongdoing – despite a ‘lack of insight’ into his offending within the report.
Mr Ferguson said: “He’s deeply ashamed of himself.
He struggles with it internally.
He just cannot believe he is the type of person that did that.
He’s asked me to tell the court that he has absolutely no intention of ever doing anything like this again.” The court heard that Cole, who is deaf, suffered adverse experiences as a child, and has not had ‘the easiest of lives’.
Mr Ferguson also raised concerns over his client's time spent in custody since he was remanded in February - and highlighted that the prison environment is ‘much harder’ for Cole due to his deafness.
He said his client had not known for a fortnight that lunch was being served, as a result of the practice of prisoners being ‘shouted down’ for the meal - a call Cole did not hear.
Sheriff Varney expressed concern that the report assessed Cole as a being at a ‘medium’ risk of reoffending.
He criticised him for ‘minimising’ his actions and ‘victim blaming’ during an interview with social workers.
Sheriff Varney told Cole: “Given the gravity of the offences, in my view, a custodial sentence is the only appropriate disposal.” He was given an extended sentence which will see him spend 24 months in custody, before being released on licence for 12 months.
Cole, of Sandpiper Lane, will also be placed on the sex offenders register for an indefinite period.
