A former Moray man has been jailed for 18 months for carrying out a campaign of sexual abuse against children spanning more than a decade.
Michael Cameron committed the offences at properties in Elgin and Portknockie between the mid 1990s and late 2000s at properties.
Cameron, who was latterly living in Cardross, Argyll, admitted the charges earlier this year and appeared at Elgin Sheriff Court yesterday for sentencing.
Fiscal Fraser Matheson told the court that on one occasion, the 47-year-old coaxed a young girl into carrying out a sex act and then told her to keep it “their secret”.
He said Cameron made further attempts to persuade the 11-year-old to repeat the act, but she refused.
On another occasion, Cameron exposed his naked body to a 16-year-old girl as he watched porn.
Defence advocate David Moggach told the court his client had been exposed to sexualised behaviour during his own upbringing in the family home, and that subconsciously this has “had an effect on him.”
He added: “With regards to the offences themselves, of course Mr Cameron knows and accepts that they were wrong and takes full responsibility for his behaviour at the time.
“He does display victim empathy and acknowledges and accepts the impact that his behaviour would have had at the time and perhaps continues to have.”
Sheriff Olga Pastportnikov said that having read both victim’s impact statements, she was convinced they were both still affected by what had happened.
She jailed him for 18 months, an imposed an extended sentence of 12 months following his release. She also placed him on the sex offenders register for 10 years.