Kevin Riddle - Repeat Sex Offender - Gets help from infants mother

A CONVICTED sex offender, who was banned from any contact with children under the age of 16, persuaded the mother of a six-month-old baby to send him pictures of her son and another six-month-old boy.

Police monitoring his actions found the photographs on his mobile phone. When asked about them, he at first claimed he did not know how they had got into his phone, but then admitted he had met the children.

At Edinburgh Sheriff Court today, 39-year old Kevin Riddle of Pennywell Medway, Edinburgh, pleaded guilty to two breaches of the Sexual Offences Act by having contact with the infants between 18 June and 29 December last year.

Fiscal Depute, Ruth Ross-Davie, told Sheriff Derrick McIntyre that in May 1998, Riddle was jailed for seven years at the High Court for Lewd and Libidinous practices and sodomy. He was released on licence in December 2002, but in 2005 he went missing from his address.

He was traced in April 2007, his licence revoked and returned to prison. He was released again in November of that year. On 18 June last year he was made the subject of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order prohibiting him from "forming an association or approaching, speaking to or communicating in any way, directly or indirectly, with anyone under the age of 16".

Ms Ross-Davie said Riddle had befriended the father of one of the babies and met the mother and the child in their home on two occasions. Also present had been the other mother and child. Riddle was shown photographs of the two children on a mobile phone and asked if they could be sent to him. The pictures were sent to his mobile in September.

The Fiscal said police officers monitoring Riddle under the Prevention Order inspected his mobile and found the pictures.

Defence agent, Kenneth McFarlane, said that when Riddle was in the company of the children, adults were always present. His client, he said, had obtained employment with an insurance company, but when he found out there was a creche facility there he left, concerned that that might breach the Order. Since then he had been out of work.

Sheriff McIntyre deferred sentence until September for reports and a risk assessment.

"25% of all sex offenders re-offend within 15 years"
.........Sarah Tofte