A nurse and youth group leader has been found guilty of sexually inappropriate behaviour with a teenage boy from her church.
Lauren Middleton was 28 at the time of the offending and the teen was just 14.
The offences took place at the boy’s home address and while Middleton was on a holiday with the family in England.
Middleton was found guilty of touching the boy – who cannot be named for legal reasons – in a sexualised way following a five-day trial at Banff Sheriff Court.
She denied the charge saying she had no idea that her actions were having a sexual effect on the boy and claimed the teenager had been “told to lie”.
The court heard evidence from family members, who told the court they became concerned about Middleton’s friendship with the teen and raised the alarm with the church and police.
Sister concerned by ‘touchy-feely’ behaviour
His sister said: “It seemed like we were hanging out with one of our older siblings.”
But she went on to say the relationship between her brother and Middleton changed in 2022, she explained: “I think they were too close. They were always together – I felt like a third wheel.”
Middleton, the court heard, would come to the families’ home to watch Strictly Come Dancing.
The boy’s sister told fiscal depute Victoria Kerr: “They would be sitting together on the sofa, and [Middleton] would be leaning next to him.”
Explaining that the sofa was a two-seater, she continued: “She would be leaning against him, with her head on his shoulders, pressing into his side.
“He might have his arm around her shoulders and a blanket over them while they were watching TV.
“It was like how a boyfriend and girlfriend would be.”
Ms Kerr asked if it could have been similar to how he would have sat with one of his older siblings?
She replied: “Definitely not, my older sister would not do that.
“It felt like they were more touchy-feely than I was with my boyfriend.”
‘They were getting too close’
The court heard that at the end of 2022 into the New Year of 2023, the family went on a holiday to the south of England, taking Middleton with them.
The length of the car journey meant they stopped overnight both on the way down and way home.
His sister said they had stayed at a bed and breakfast in Preston and she had been worried that “something else would happen”, adding: “I was worried they would sleep in the same bed.”
She said during that evening she saw her brother playing with Middleton’s hair, putting his hands on her face and legs and she would also “touch his thighs”.
“They were even more touchy,” she added.
Ms Kerr asked if she had said anything to him or her parents about her concerns, she answered: “No, I didn’t have time to – my parents talked to him as soon as we got out of the car when we got home.
“My parents said they had noticed they were getting too close and they needed it to stop – to put distance between them.”
The boy described to the court a particular incident that occurred while he and Middleton were sitting under a blanket watching Strictly Come Dancing at the family home.
Giving evidence on video, the boy told the court that Middleton had rubbed his thigh which had resulted in him becoming sexually aroused – this was said to have happened on more than one occasion.
Stuart Beveridge submitted that the boy had conceded he did not think Middleton had “been aware of this happening”.
Father: She is twice his age
The boy’s father also spoke of seeing his son holding hands with Middleton during time spent visiting Preston’s festive lights on the 2023 road trip.
He said he had found it “quite disturbing” finding them sitting in the living room when he woke that next morning at around 8am.
He said: “It was inappropriate, she is twice his age and a group leader.
“It is inappropriate purely because she is in a position of authority.”
He said he didn’t say anything during the holiday so as not to spoil it, but when they got home they told Middleton to “back off” and also raised it with their church.
He said: “We asked that they not be at church at the same time, but the church refused.
“They implied that [my son] was lying – but they had no safeguarding policy in place.
“We confronted her and she said, ‘I can’t believe I let things get to this’.”
A church volunteer said she remembered talking to Middleton about concerns, adding that it had been seen as “maybe playful stuff” but could be “mistaken for more”.
She said: “There seemed to be a romantic attachment – it seemed abnormal.”
Accused unaware boy was sexually aroused
Giving evidence, Middleton said that the family had treated her like a daughter.
Her defence solicitor Stuart Beveridge asked how the family had interacted with her, she replied: “We were very huggy. We regularly gave hugs – but the father wasn’t as tactile.”
She said she “did not recall” rubbing the boy’s thigh and added: “I maybe put my hand on his knee in a reassuring gesture.”
Mr Beveridge asked her about sitting under a blanket watching TV with the boy and asked if she was aware of the sexual effect she was having on the teen.
“No,” Middleton replied. “Absolutely not.”
Mr Beveridge continued: “You never touched him inappropriately?”
“If I ever touched him, it was in a reassuring way,” Middleton answered.
Mr Beveridge asked her about when the boy’s parents had confronted her with the allegations and Middleton broke down in tears saying: “It was awful. They considered me to be family.”
Angry confrontation with parents
Under cross-examination from Victoria Kerr, Middleton was asked if she had thought it appropriate to sit under a blanket with a teenage boy.
“I don’t know,“ Middleton said. “It was just that he wanted to share it.
“I always sit under a blanket, wherever I am. There’s something comfortable about it.”
Ms Kerr also asked her about being confronted by the boy’s parents about the allegations, Middleton replied: “They were saying that I was trying to make him my boyfriend.
“It was not a conversation – it was two adults yelling at me for two hours.”
Ms Kerr interjected: “You were almost 30, you were an adult too.”
Middleton answered: “I don’t like confrontation. It was horrible. I was in shock. I was in disbelief that they thought I would do that.”
In summing up, Ms Kerr said she was seeking to convict Middleton of sexual activity with an older child and said she had not been “credible or reliable”, adding: “She was vague and repeatedly said ‘I can’t recall’.
“She contradicted herself and ‘didn’t get round’ to telling the boy’s parents of the very serious concerns of the teenager.
“It does not tally.”
Woman sobs as verdict delivered
Middleton’s defence solicitor Stuart Beveridge argued that his client had been “unaware” that her actions were sexually arousing the boy, adding: “She was completely unaware of the effect she was having upon him.
“It is a very strange sexual assault, if the person did not know they were carrying out a sexual assault.”
Sheriff Eric Brown found Middleton guilty after a lengthy deliberation, saying he did not find her to be “impressive”.
He said: “I find it extraordinary that you behaved in this manner with a youth of 14 years of age and it persisted over a period of time.
“There was no explanation given for the contact in which you engaged.
“I am in no doubt that the contact established would be viewed to be sexual in nature.”
He deferred sentence on Middleton, Addison Crescent, Banff, until March, asking for background reports to be produced and a Restriction of Liberty Order assessment to be carried out.
Middleton sobbed as the verdict was delivered and declared: “It’s not right – I didn’t do it.
“Their parents made them lie.”
She was also made subject to the sex offender’s notification requirements.