Youth football coach jailed for raping teenage girl in car

Lee Murray was found guilty of raping and sexually assaulting a teenager

A former youth football coach who raped a girl in his car in Inverness has been jailed for five years.

Lee Murray, 53, was found guilty of raping and sexually assaulting the 14-year-old at locations around the Inverness area between January 2021 and October 2022.

The former Thistle Girls FC head coach also sent her indecent images of himself and inappropriate messages while proposing to meet up with her.

Murray, from Inverness, was found guilty of four charges at an earlier trial.

As well as rape, he was 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.

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 and messages sent by Murray.

One message Murray sent 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 [sic] wrong we also know we have something special between us."

The father of Murray's victim gave evidence during the trial at the High Court in Inverness in July.

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."

Murray 'poses a danger to children'

While on bail, Murray sent sexual messages to an adult woman, who was posing as a 14-year-old girl on a social media app.

Murray, who believed he was talking to the underage child, then indecently exposed himself on a video call.

Judge Lord Sandison, said: “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.”

At a hearing at the High Court in Edinburgh, Murray was sentenced to five years in prison with an extended supervision period of two years.

He was also given a non-harassment order banning him from contacting or attempting to contact his victim for three years and his name was added to the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Scotland’s procurator fiscal for high court sexual offending, Katrina Parkes, said Murray "held a position of trust within the local community while committing this horrific sexual offending".

“He poses a danger to children and will now have to face the consequences of his actions," she said.