Sex offender Neil Peters back in court after breaching order

A high-risk sex offender was back in the dock this week after breaching a court order. Neil Peters, 65, of Melville Park, East Kilbride, appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court. He admitted breaching a five-year sexual harm prevention order imposed on August 1 last year. This order restricts his internet use and bans him from deleting records of his phone and online activity.

The court heard that Peters was jailed for 18 months for a sex offence and released from HMP Addiewell on March 1 this year. John Coogan, prosecuting, said: “He is visited by police on a monthly basis due to being designed as high risk. On April 30 police officers visited another known sex offender who told them he had been conversing with, and sending text messages to, the accused. That same day officers went to the accused’s home on a routine visit. Peters didn’t disclose that he had been conversing with the other individual. Officers inspected his phone and found messages between them. Peters told them he’d met that man in Addiewell. He admitted deleting other phone messages and texts between them. He told police he had panicked.”

Defence lawyer Stephen McQuillan said Peters had found himself “isolated” on his release from prison. Mr McQuillan stated: “He did not instigate the contact - the other man contacted him. He didn’t realise at first that such communication would be frowned upon. He has cooperated since this came to light and now knows that he has to keep everything on his phone.”

Sentence on Peters was deferred until next month for background reports.