Lifelong order for convicted paedophile who preyed on children/boys
An “incorrigible” pervert who preyed on children for more than 30 years has been jailed for a minimum of 20 months and warned he will be supervised for the rest of his life.
Neil Divers will only be released when he is considered safe and would be returned to prison if he reoffends.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard the 59-year-old from Peterhead had been in custody for nine months awaiting sentence for a sex attack on a sleeping 18-year-old.
Divers admitted committing the offence in the youth’s home following a drinking binge in April last year. He also plead guilty to disorderly conduct by sending the young man a letter offering him cash for sexual acts.
Judge Lord Philip handed him a lifelong restriction order after hearing of a number of previous attempts to control Divers.
Prosecutors said that he had been jailed for four years in May 2003 for a series of offences against children, some dating back to the 1970s.
In 2007, Grampian Police obtained a Sexual Offences Prevention Order to allow them to impose restrictions on Diver, including a curfew keeping him in his home when children were likely to be about.
However, the court heard Divers had been jailed five times since for breaching the order, once within hours of his release.
He used meetings with social workers to walk past a primary school or to watch “vulnerable” youngsters attending a family care centre.
At an earlier hearing, sentencing on Divers had been deferred, with Lord Philip Ordering a full investigation into the risk posed by Divers. At the time, he told him: “Your record indicates to me that you are incorrigible. In other words, nothing seems to be able to stop you from offending in this way.”
The background reports enabled Lord Philip to grant the lifelong order at the High Court in Edinburgh on Friday.
Defence advocate Shahid Latif described the letter Divers wrote to the Peterhead teenager as “rather infantile” and said Divers had a history of mental health problems.
However, he added: “I say nothing to minimise the grossity of what took place.”
