The family of an 11-year-old girl is furious after a paedophile avoided jail despite serious charges against him
Edinburgh: A charity worker named Crawford Robertson has caused a lot of anger after he sent disgusting messages to an 11-year-old girl. He pretended to be a teenager on Snapchat to lure her in.
Robertson, who’s 22, told the girl he wanted to kiss her and even suggested they meet up. This all happened back in November 2022. Thankfully, a family friend spotted him at the shopping center and scared him off before anything worse could happen.
He was arrested and later pleaded guilty to two serious charges. But when it came time for sentencing, the sheriff decided not to send him to jail. Instead, he got a community payback order, which has left the girl’s family fuming.
The sheriff mentioned that while the charges were serious, he took into account Robertson’s lack of previous convictions and his age. Robertson will have to do 225 hours of unpaid work and is on a supervision order for two years. He’s also on the sex offenders register.
The girl’s mother expressed disbelief that he wasn’t jailed, saying, “What kind of person does that to an 11-year-old?” She’s grateful that a family friend was there to intervene, but the whole situation has left them shaken.
Robertson’s actions have raised serious concerns about child safety, and the family is understandably upset about the leniency shown in his sentencing.
