Borders woman guilty of sex with boy, 14, deported from US

Orange County court ordered the immediate return of 28-year-old Sarah McGill’s passport after she was found guilty of lewd or lascivious battery, known as statutory rape in the UK.

Sarah McGill from Galashiels was arrested at a hotel in Orlando, Florida, on Saturday, April 7 after arranging to meet the teenager for sex via the website quora.com.

The former Edinburgh-based hypnotherapist originally pleaded not guilty at Orange County Court in Orlando to the charge, which carries a jail sentence of up to 15 years.

She was released from Orange County Jail after surrendering her passport and paying a $1,000 bond, and was waiting to be tried by jurors

However on Tuesday, August 29 McGill changed her plea to guilty in front of judge Marc Lubet at a pre-trial conference.

It was ordered she receive five years sex offender probation and be deported immediately.

Julio Semino, court support manager for the Ninth Judicial Circuit, said: “Ms McGill received five years sex offender probation.

“She was adjudicated guilty as a sex offender.

“Her passport was ordered to be returned to her and she was directed to immediately leave the country.

“Her probation is to terminate upon her leaving the US.”

Prosecutors said McGill, originally from Selkirk but latterly of Church Square in Galashiels, was paid $480, around £365, by the boy for the liaison.

McGill, who was posing under the alias Sophia Belle, was said to have been approached by the 14-year-old who made contact with her while searching online for prostitutes on Quora.com – a website known to carry escort ads.

McGill and the boy started texting each other before they arranged to meet in a Marriott hotel room in Orlando.

He later told police his life was boring and that he was looking for a way to “spice things up”.