April 2016

Perverted tennis coach filmed himself abusing schoolboy

James Wightman, 60, strapped a camera to a fence to video himself touching up the schoolboy player at Clarkston tennis club, near Glasgow.

He also assaulted the young starlet in the changing rooms at the club

Wightman appeared for trial at Paisley Sheriff Court accused of engaging in sexual activity with a child and other offences between July and August 2014.

The jury was shown footage of his encounters with the lad, whose mum had asked him to prepare for a tournament.

In it Wightman – who was not a certified coach but who runs his own tennis racket stringing business – could be seen pressing and manipulating his body every time he served.

In another he stood behind him and touched him several times as he told him how to hit a shot.

When the boy’s mum told Wightman her son had a painful shoulder he took him into the changing rooms and rubbed cream into the injury before wiping off the excess on his stomach.

He then took snaps of the lad topless – telling him he had “a great figure”.

But Wightman was snared when the lad told his mum, who contacted the club – and they brought in the police.

They searched Wightman’s home in Cathcart and found stills of the boy topless as well as screengrabs of him touching him on the buttocks.

Other indecent images of children were also discovered.

Wightman denied the charges – claiming he had taken pictures of the boy’s body as he had a “perfect” physique which he wanted to model himself on.

His solicitor Gordon Ritchie said Wightman regretted touching the boy

He added: “I accept what he’s done is stupid and wholly inappropriate but it’s not criminal.”

But the jury found Wightman guilty by majority. Sentence was deferred.