A dangerous Aberdeen paedophile who abused two young girls has been handed an extended sentence – despite his bizarre claim the offences were not sexually motivated.
Alan Bremner was slapped with a seven-and-a-half-year extended sentence at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and banned from contacting or approaching girls under 16 indefinitely.
In imposing the lengthy sentence, Sheriff Graham Buchanan said it was “necessary to protect the public” from the 59-year-old, and branded his claim that the crimes were not committed for sexual gratification “very, very hard to understand”.
‘He was selling a lie’
That sentiment was echoed by the mother of one of his victims who told us: “He got caught and he doesn’t like it.
“Obviously it was sexually motivated. He did sexual acts on a young child. If it wasn’t for sexual gratification then what was it for? Punishment?
“It was weak of him to say that it wasn’t sexually motivated. I’m grateful the sheriff didn’t listen to that. He was selling a lie.”
The sickened mum added she was “surprised” by Bremner’s sentencing and had spent the last month fearing he’d get off with a “slap on the wrist”.
The offences were committed at various locations around the north-east.
The former bus driver even offered to buy the second girl a computer game if she had sex with him, urging her to “just do it”.
Fiscal depute Brian Young told the court Bremner sexually assaulted the first girl on various occasions over the court of 26 months.
‘My daughter will feel a lot better knowing it’s a longer sentence’
He touched her sexually on a number of occasions and at one point told her: “I cannot wait to have fun with you.”
Bremner also touched the child’s breasts while hugging her on “many
occasions”.
On another occasion, he began touching the girl sexually at a birthday party, only stopping when the child’s father entered the room.
Bremner told child to ‘keep it a secret’
Welcoming the sentencing, that dad told us: “My daughter will feel a lot better knowing it’s a longer sentence. She will be a good bit older by the time he gets out.
“I don’t think it’s justice because it feels like something that should never have happened but he is now having to pay for what he has done.
“Knowing that it will be difficult for him to do this again is good and hopefully it will stop him getting near another child.”
Bremner engaged in sexual activity with the second child on various occasions over an 18-month period.
In 2019 he led the girl behind a bush in an Aberdeen park where he began to touch her. When she tried to get away he grabbed hold of her so she could not escape.
The incident lasted around two minutes, with Bremner then telling the child to “keep it a secret”.
On more than 10 occasions throughout the 18-month period, Bremner touched the child sexually when they were alone together.
On one occasion Bremner called the girl on Facebook Messenger and “asked her to go into the bathroom and show him her breasts and between her legs”, before he showed her his private parts, stating “look at this”.
One weekend between March and April 2021, Bremner offered to buy the girl a video game if she “kept a secret”, and asked her for sex.
Fiscal depute Mr Young told the court: “The complainer did not fully know what this meant nor what body parts were involved, but she did not want to do it and told the accused this.
“The accused persisted, stating that he would get her a toy after and to ‘just do it’.”
He then engaged in sexual activity with her.
‘He went through an extremely stressful period in his life’
Bremner’s sickening behaviour finally came to light when the girl was shown an educational video at school about a child being touched inappropriately and told a member of staff what he had done.
Defence agent Stuart Murray told the court his client had no similar previous convictions.
Referring to a court-ordered social work report, Mr Murray said: “Mr Bremner is adamant to the author of the report he did not commit these offences for the purpose of sexual gratification.”
Sheriff Buchanan replied: “That seems very, very hard to understand.”
Mr Murray went on: “The reality is he tells me today that he went through an extremely stressful period in his life.
“He can’t give an explanation as to why he committed the offences he committed.”
Sheriff Buchanan said: “There’s pretty significant lack of insight into the significance of what he was doing and the harm that sort of behaviour will inevitably cause.”
Mr Murray said his client had now seen the victim impact statements and was “horrified” by them.
Addressing Bremner directly, Sheriff Buchanan said: “It’s plain that, such is the seriousness of the offences before the court, there is no alternative to the imposition of a significant custodial sentence.
“On the basis of the circumstances of the offences and the material in the social work report, I have decided that you present a high risk of causing serious sexual harm from which it is necessary to protect the public.”
He handed Bremner, whose address was given in court papers as Provost Rust Drive, Aberdeen, an extended sentence of seven years and six months.
The sentence involved a custodial part of four years and six months, with a further three years on licence.
Bremner was also made subject to the notification requirements of the Sexual Offences Act for an indefinite period.
Sheriff Buchanan also imposed a sexual offences prevention order indefinitely, prohibiting Bremner from approaching or having any communication with any female child under 16, apart from inadvertent contact and contact supervised by an adult over 21 aware of the restrictions.
Finally, a non-harassment order was also imposed, banning Bremner from contacting the two complainers indefinitely.
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