Former girls football coach who raped schoolgirl, 15, jailed for five years

A former girls football team coach who raped a 15-year-old has been jailed for five years.

Lee Murray, 53, preyed on the girl, who can’t be named for legal reasons, at locations in Inverness.

A high court jury heard how Murray also sent the teenager messages containing graphic sexual content.

He also convicted of communicating indecently with an older child and causing them to look at a sexual image, attempting to communicate indecently with a child and attempting to cause a child to look at a sexual image.

On Tuesday, Murray, also of Inverness, appeared for sentence before judge Lord Sandison at the High Court in Edinburgh.

He had been convicted of rape and other sexual offences following a trial earlier this year at the High Court in Inverness and sentence had been deferred for the court to obtain a report on Murray’s background.

On Tuesday, defence advocate Mark Stewart KC told the court that his client knew he would have to go to prison for his actions.

Lord Sandison ordered 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 taken into account 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.”

Murray coached a team called Thistle Girls FC. His offending took place between January 2021 and October 2022.

Jurors heard how 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 Murray which were sexual in nature.

Another message sent by 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 Murray’s victim also gave evidence during the trial.

The court heard he had learned about his daughter’s contact with 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 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”.

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, 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 then passed their evidence to police.

During the video, 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: “He is aware that his conduct will result in the imposition of a lengthy custodial sentence.”

Lord Sandison also placed Murray on the Sex Offenders Register for life.