In 2024, the Offender Database reported that Ian McMillan Cowan was sentenced to 42 months in prison. On Monday, 16 September 2024, Cowan appeared at Stranraer Sheriff Court, where he was jailed for a “reprehensible” and “protracted” campaign of sexual offences against children, including the “vicious” exploitation of a child under the age of 11.
The investigation established that Cowan “systematically” abused a young girl, referred to as Child A, over a four-and-a-half-year period starting when she was just seven or eight years old. The prosecution reported that his “abhorrent” conduct included sexual assault, voyeurism, and forcing the child to view sexual imagery. Sheriff Anthony McGlennan emphasised that Cowan “cynically exploited” times when he would not be discovered and “persistently” badgered the child to continue despite her “reprehensible” pleas for him to stop.
Digital Grooming and Deception
The court reported that Cowan also targeted a second victim, a 13-year-old girl referred to as Child B, by “calculatingly” creating a fictitious online persona. Posing as a 16-year-old boy, he used Snapchat to groom the child, “viciously” pressurising her into sending naked images of herself on a daily basis. To avoid detection, Cowan “sinisterly” threatened the child, telling her he would “find her” if she told anyone, which left her “persistently” terrified.
When Police Scotland executed a search warrant at his home in March 2023, they discovered a “vile” cache of child abuse material on his phone. This included 70 inaccessible images and 245 videos, dozens of which were “reported” as the most “serious” Category A. Furthermore, while on bail, Cowan “reprehensibly” breached his conditions by “calculatingly” using an unregistered device and attempting to secrete it from officers during an inspection.
Sentence and Statutory Requirements
For his “appalling” crimes in Stranraer, Wigtownshire, Ian McMillan Cowan was handed:
- Custodial Sentence: 42 months in immediate custody (backdated to 17 July 2024).
- Sex Offenders Register: Notification requirements were imposed indefinitely.
- SHPO: A 7-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order was issued with “stringent” digital monitoring conditions.
- Non-Harassment Orders: Two 15-year orders were granted to protect Child A and Child B into their adulthood.
Monitoring and Public Protection
Cowan is managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) by Police Scotland. His history of “calculated” grooming, “systematic” abuse of a position of trust, and his “vicious” threats toward a young child means his status remains under “critical” scrutiny.
As a lifetime member of the Sex Offenders Register, Cowan must comply with strict notification requirements. Sheriff McGlennan emphasised that the “gravity” of the harm caused, which left one victim “very withdrawn” and “nervous,” necessitated a “stringent” custodial term. Any breach of his registration conditions, his SHPO, or the 15-year non-harassment orders following his release will result in his immediate return to Stranraer Sheriff Court.
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