A former Inverness girls football team coach who raped a 15-year-old female has been jailed for five years.
Lee Murray, 53, preyed on the teenage girl and took her to locations in and around Inverness for sex in his car.
A jury at the High Court in Inverness heard how Murray also sent the teenager messages containing graphic sexual content.
They were told how Murray wrote: “My wee girl you are so cute I can’t f****** wait to see you babe.”
He was 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.
Watch: The moment Inverness football coach was caught by paedophile hunters
Defence advocate Mark Stewart KC told the court that his client knew he would have to go to prison for his actions.
In addition to the five-year prison sentence, 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 into account everything which has been said on your behalf by Mr Stewart.
‘I told myself I shouldn’t be doing it’
“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 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.
Following his arrest, police officers recovered photos sent by Murray – one of the images showed him in a state of arousal and another where he was topless with his tongue out.
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 (sic) 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.
‘He poses a danger to children and will now face the consequences’
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 paedophile hunter 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 and 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”.
Lord Sandison also placed Murray on the sex offenders register for life.
Following the sentencing, Katrina Parkes, Scotland’s procurator fiscal for High Court sexual offending, said: “Lee 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.
“COPFS prosecutors are committed to securing justice in child sexual abuse cases.
“I would urge anyone aware of or affected by similar crime to report it and seek support.”
