Jail sentence for sex offender who lied about letters from prison
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A FORMER Wick man who professed his "undying love" for an underage girl he committed sex crimes against in a letter from prison was jailed for three years and three months today.
Aidan Bremner tried to claim that he was not the author of the missive at a court hearing earlier this week. But, after a judge adjourned the case for the Crown to investigate, the sex offender was found to have lied and he accepted he was the writer.
Lord Boyd of Duncansby told Bremner (23): "You have written to the victim proclaiming your undying love and attempted to contact her through her sister.
"Through your counsel you attempted to deny you had written such letters. The court adjourned to investigate the matter and today you have accepted that you did indeed write these letters."
Lord Boyd told Bremner at the High Court in Edinburgh: "You are an idiot if you thought that you could successfully mislead the court."
The judge added: "That conduct, together with the assessment of risk, gives me cause to worry about protecting the public, including young girls, and in particular the victim in this case."
Lord Boyd ordered that Bremner, formerly of Cairndhuna Terrace, Wick, should be kept under supervision for a further three-year period.
He was also placed on the sex offenders' register indefinitely and made the subject of a sexual offences prevention order prohibiting him contacting the victim or any female member of her family for seven years.
The judge warned Bremner that any breach of that order would be a criminal offence which could result in prosecution.
Bremner had met his victim through a club where he acted as a mentor.
Bremner, who has been held on remand in Glasgow's Barlinnie prison where he penned the letters, earlier admitted taking part in sexual activity with the 14-year-old girl and having unlawful intercourse with her at an address in the Highlands.
Police recovered copies of Facebook messages sent between December last year and February this year which showed that Bremner, a fryer at a chip shop, was sexually involved with the child.
Defence counsel Victoria Dow confirmed that copies of the letters in the judge's possession were from Bremner.
She said he was an immature young man who panicked when he heard comments from the judge at the earlier hearing and decided to lie.
The defence counsel told Lord Boyd at the hearing on Tuesday: "I asked if he had ever sent her a handwritten letter and he said at no time has he done that."
She told the judge today: "He did, in fact, write these letters. Rather than put himself in a better position he has put himself in a worse position."
