Lee Murray Inverness Paedophile, a former girls’ football team coach who sexually assaulted a 15-year-old, has been sentenced to five years in prison. Lee Murray, 53, exploited the child, whose identity is protected for legal reasons, at various sites in Inverness.
A high court jury was informed that Lee Murray transmitted messages with explicit sexual content to the adolescent.
Lee Murray was also convicted of indecent communication with an older kid and inducing them to view a sexual image, as well as attempting to engage in indecent communication with a child and attempting to induce a child to view a sexual image.
On Tuesday, Lee Murray, also from Inverness, appeared for sentencing before Judge Lord Sandison at the High Court in Edinburgh.
Lee Murray was convicted of rape and other sexual offences during a trial earlier this year at the High Court in Inverness, with sentencing held for the court to acquire a report on Murray’s background.
On Tuesday, defence attorney Mark Stewart KC to the court that his client was aware he would face incarceration for his acts.
Lord Sandison ordered Lee Murray to be supervised by the authorities for two years following his release from custody. He also passed a three-year-long non-harassment order preventing Murray from contacting the girl he raped.
Passing sentence, Lord Sandison said: “I have taken account everything which has been said on your behalf by Mr Stewart.
“I have also considered the contents of the Criminal Justice Social Work Report and the Victim Impact Statement, which has been tendered to the court.
“I think that you will be aware that because of the gravity of your offending to which you have been convicted of only a custodial sentence is appropriate in these circumstances.”
Lee Murray coached a team called Thistle Girls FC. His offending took place between January 2021 and October 2022.
Jurors heard how Lee Murray took the teenage girl to locations in and around Inverness for sex in his car.
Following his arrest, police officers recovered photos sent by Lee Murray which were sexual.
Another message sent by Lee Murray to the girl read: “I hate every minute and every second of every day because I know I go down if we get caught.”
He also told her: “As much as it is so dam (CORR) wrong, we also know we have something special between us.”
The father of Lee Murray’s victim also gave evidence during the trial.
The court heard he had learned about his daughter’s contact with Lee Murray from a third party.
Asked how she had reacted, the father said: “(She) was emotionally distraught. She was crying, she was hysterical, she was on the floor. She was completely broken.”
The jury also heard from a woman who was contacted online by Lee Murray while posing as a 14-year-old girl. He was on bail at the time.
The 40-year-old – who worked with a voluntary child protection group – had set up a decoy profile on the app Wink, which markets itself as a tool for “dating and friends”.
Lee Murray, then 51, contacted the profile and was immediately told that he was speaking with a 14-year-old named Scarlet.
After moving the conversation to WhatsApp, Lee Murray sent images of Loch Ness and said: “No, I am not the monster; well I could be.”
The woman passed her dossier on to the head of her organisation, and a “sting” was then arranged with a similar group in Glasgow, who confronted Murray in the street and then passed their evidence to police.
During the video, Lee Murray told the volunteers who confronted him: “I told myself I shouldn’t be doing it” and called his actions “disgusting”.
On Tuesday, Mr Stewart told the court that Murray knew he was going to prison for his crimes.
He added: “Lee Murray is aware that his conduct will result in the imposition of a lengthy custodial sentence.”
Lord Sandison also placed Lee Murray on the Sex Offenders Register for life.
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