Galashiels 74-year-old jailed for sex offences against girls aged 11 to 14 in the 1970s and 1980s

James Forsyth, 74, pleaded guilty to four counts of lewd, indecent and libidinous practices towards the youngsters at houses in Langlee in the 1970s and 1980s.

Jedburgh Sheriff Court was told the first offence was committed at a house in Marmion Road on various occasions between June 1973 and June 1975 involving a girl aged 13 or 14 at the time.

Forsyth, in his late 20s at the time, made remarks of a sexual nature towards her, showed her pornographic magazines and unzipped his trousers and performed a sex act in front of her, as well as forcing her to carry out a sex act on him.

Forsyth induced a girl also aged 13 or 14 at the time to handle his private parts over his clothing at a house in Kenilworth Avenue between May and December 1976.

He followed that up in 1978 and 1979 at a house in Brier Lane by pulling down his trousers in front of an 11-year-old girl and asked her to touch his exposed private parts.

At the same house in 1980 and 1981, he made remarks of a sexual nature to a 14-year-old girl, exposed himself to her and seized her hand and forced her to carry out a sex act on him.

The court heard that Forsyth would tell the girls his trouser zip was broken and ask if they could help to fix it.

A 14-year-old girl told the court she’d once jumped out of a window at the house in Brier Lane to escape Forsyth’s attentions, saying she’d never felt so scared in her life.

Defence lawyer Julia McPartlin said that Forsyth was struggling with alcohol issues and was overly interested in pornography at the time of those offences.

She said: “It does not explain the behaviour, but they were factors that were involved.

“The offending took place in the 1970s and ended in 1981 and he has never been in any trouble since.”

Ms McPartlin said Forsyth had worked most of his adult life, latterly as a council environmental officer.

Though he is still married, that marriage is now at an end, she said, adding: “It is that which will be the biggest punishment for him.

“As from today, she has said she does not want him to return home and he has signed over his share of the house to her.”

Sheriff Peter Paterson told Forsyth: “Having read the details of these charges and the victim impact statements and the devastating effect your conduct has had, there is no alternative to a custodial sentence.”

Forsyth, of Scott Street in Galashiels, was jailed for 15 months for the two earlier offences and another 12 months, to run consecutively, for the two later ones.

He also had his name put on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years.