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Church minister has conviction for sexual assault overturned


By Alistair Whitfield

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Alastair Gray. Picture: Daniel Forsyth
Alastair Gray. Picture: Daniel Forsyth

A Church of Scotland minister who served in Caithness before moving to Moray has succeeded in having a conviction for sexual assault overturned.

Sitting in Edinburgh on Wednesday, the Court of Appeal upheld the appeal by Alastair Gray.

The court also removed his name from the Sex Offenders Register.

However, a related conviction for physical assault against the same woman still stands.

Gray was told that he must perform 85 hours of unpaid work for community – a reduction from the original 150-hour sentence handed down at Elgin Sheriff Court in January.

The 66-year-old has been suspended from Keith North Church since the allegations arose against him in 2018.

A Church of Scotland spokesman stated that now the court case had been concluded it would resume its own disciplinary procedures.

Gray was based at Keith North for nearly three years after a previous position at Bower, Watten and Halkirk.




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