Inverness youth football coach Lee Murray branded himself ‘disgusting’ in paedophile sting operation

A former Inverness youth football coach who was jailed today for a string of serious sex offences called his own behaviour “disgusting” when confronted by paedophile hunters.

Lee Murray (53), who formerly coached Thistle Girls FC in Inverness, was jailed for five years at the High Court in Edinburgh today after admitting raping a 15-year-old girl, who cannot be name for legal reasons.

A high court jury heard how Murray took the teenager to various locations around Inverness for sex in his car.

He also sent her a series of messages.

One read: "I hate every minute and every second of every day because I know I go down if we get caught."

In another he told her: "As much as it is so dam (sic) wrong we also know we have something special between us."

Other messages contained graphic sexual content.

His offending took place between January 2021 and October 2022.

The father of Murray's victim 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."

As part of separate offending - committed while he was on bail in connection with the rape case - the jury also heard from a woman who was contacted online by Murray while posing as a 14-year-old girl.

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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 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 own actions “disgusting".

Today at the High Court in Edinburgh Murray’s defence agent said his client expected a lengthy custodial sentence.

As well as the prison term Murray will also be under two years supervision after his release.

He was also made the subject of a three-year non-harassment order to prevent him contacting the girl in the rape case and has been placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely.

Sentencing judge Lord Sandison said: “I have taken account everything which has been said on your behalf by (defence agent) 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 of which you have been convicted only a custodial sentence is appropriate in these circumstances.”