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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
National
Alan McEwen. & Jacob Farr

Scottish grandad sentenced at Edinburgh court after sexually assaulting 11-year-old

A barman hounded from his home by protesters live on TikTok after being unmasked as a sex beast has been jailed.

James Thomson, who was convicted by a jury of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl and a woman, was caged for 46 months.

The 68-year-old’s house in Peebles in the Scottish Borders was the site of a demonstration by enraged residents.

READ MORE: Meet the Edinburgh man who gave up his IT office job to pursue his handyman dreams

Thomson had to be escorted from the property by police officers amid angry scenes which were broadcast on social media, the Daily Record reports.

TikTok videos show protesters cheering as Thomson was put in the back of a police vehicle.

The grandad appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday after being found guilty of a string of offences last month.

Sheriff Robert Fife condemned Thomson’s “despicable” behaviour before jailing him.

The sheriff placed Thomson, who worked as a barman for two decades, on the sex offenders register for an indefinite period.

The jury convicted him of a sexual assault on a woman at his home in August 2020 while she was intoxicated.

The predator pounced on the woman while she couldn’t give consent, taking off her clothes, getting into bed beside her, and using a sex toy on her.

He was found guilty of assaulting the woman at a pub in the same month by attempting to kiss her on the mouth, and indecently assaulting her around 16 years earlier when she was a teen.

Thomson had to be taken from his home by police. (Daily Record.)

Thomson was also convicted of a sexual assault on an 11-year-old.

He was found guilty of making sexual remarks to a woman “for the purposes of sexual gratification or humiliating, distress or alarming” her on two occasions around August 2020.

Thomson sent messages of a sexual nature to another woman on various occasions between 2018 and 2019.

The jury returned its verdict against the pensioner, who had denied the charges, on February 27.

On March 1 police were called to Thomson’s home where a crowd had gathered following the court case.

In a TikTok video, Thomson can be seen with his face covered being led from his front door by uniformed cops.

Protestors are heard calling him a “dirty beast”, scumbag” and “pervert”.

Another man is heard shouting: “Hang your head in shame.”

Thomson is helped in the rear of a police vehicle. As its door was closed, another man called out “Enjoy the jail” and demonstrators let out cheers.

A Police Scotland spokesman said: “Around 8.10pm on Wednesday, March 1, police were called to a report of a crowd gathered outside an address in Glensax Road, Peebles.

“Officers attended and engaged with the crowd, who later dispersed.”

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