Dalmarnock man jailed for abducting school girl

A school worker who abducted a six-year-old girl, stripped her and took a naked photograph of her has been jailed for three years.

James Moran, 32, silently led the child to a store cupboard at her school as she made her way back from the toilet.

When she refused his demand to removed her clothes he took hold of her and stripped her naked - apart from her socks and shoes.

The child grabbed her clothes back from Moran as he used both hands to take a picture of her with his mobile phone.

Sick Moran fled and the child returned to her class where she told her teacher of her ordeal and later pointed out her attacker in the school saying “it was him”.

Moran, from Dalmarnock, pled guilty to abducting the schoolgirl on May 2, this year at a primary school in the city.

He also admitted sexually assaulting her by causing her to participate in sexual activity, forcing her to remove her clothes and underwear and taking a naked picture her.

Yesterday Sheriff Alan Mackenzie sentenced Moran to three years behind bars and put him on the Sex Offenders' register indefinitely.

Passing sentence he told Moran: "The crimes you committed involves a six year-old child in an environment where she ought to have been safe and secure.

"One where her parents anticipated she would be.

"I consider that the offences are of the utmost gravity, I am in no doubt as has been recognised, no other disposal other than a custodial one is appropriate."

Glasgow Sheriff Court heard Moran was employed by Cordia to carry out work in the school and had been working for four or five years.

Staff said the role was “limited to school crossings, moving furniture and litter picking” and he had no direct interaction with children.

He was described as a “loner” who had “limited communication skills”.

Procurator fiscal depute Lindsay Madden said that around 10.45am the child left her classroom to go to the toilet and while walking back, met Moran.

He took her by the hand and led her to a nearby storage cupboard she had never been to before.

Mrs Madden said: “The accused did not speak while he led her to the storage cupboard, thereafter closing the door.

“The accused then asked her to strip. She refused to remove her clothing at which point the accused took her by the right hand and removed her pinafore, vest and underpants with his other hand.

“At this point the complainer was naked other than for her socks and shoes.”

He then used his mobile phone to take a picture of her and while using both hand stop operate the phone, the child took her clothes back from him.

Moran heard a noise and quickly left and the child dressed “as quickly as she could”.

The court heard she immediately told her teacher what happened to her and that was a man she had seen in the school before.

Her parents and police were called and while showing them where she had been taken by Moran the girl saw him.

She pointed and clearly said “it was him” but he didn’t react and walked to the janitor’s office.

Moran was detained and taken in for questioning by police.

The child changed out of her school clothes to allow them to be taken by officers and was helped to change by her mum.

Mrs Madden added: “Her mother noted that her daughter’s underpants were inside out and back to front which they had not been when she dressed in the morning before school.”

Moran’s phone was examined and showed a blurred image, as if taken quickly, of a naked child in a room with boxes.

It was consistent with the young girl’s version of events.

Defence lawyer Bill McCluskey said his client is described as "painfully shy".

He said Moran's family have been the subject of online abuse as a result of his actions and he was keen not to put the child's family through a court process