Scott Murray

Scott Murray, a 40-year-old resident of Balloan Road in Inverness, Scotland, has a history of sexual offences, including previous convictions for possessing indecent images of children. He was subject to a sexual harm prevention order that prohibited contact with boys under 16 and required him to maintain a monitoring app on his mobile phone to track his activities.

In July 2024, Murray was imprisoned for an initial breach of this order after he visited the Vue Cinema at Inverness Retail Park on 23 June 2023. During this incident, he queued near a young boy and then entered the screening room for the Pixar film Inside Out 2, remaining in the presence of male children for an extended period without a reasonable excuse. His solicitor, Willie Young, explained that Murray's sleep had been disrupted by medication, leading to the cinema visit, and noted that no complaints were made about his behaviour at the time. The breach was discovered through Murray's own disclosures during a routine police visit.

Following his release from that sentence, Murray breached the order again by deliberately deactivating the monitoring app on his phone for a total of nine days. Fiscal depute Pauline Gair informed Inverness Sheriff Court that Murray had been explicitly instructed not to delete or interfere with the app, and technical experts confirmed that it could not have been switched off accidentally, such as due to low battery. Murray admitted to the interference, with his solicitor stating that he found the restrictions 'frustrating' and was unfamiliar with the phone.

On a date in late 2024, Sheriff Sara Matheson sentenced Murray to 24 months in prison at Inverness Sheriff Court, backdated to 28 August 2024. This custodial sentence underscores the ongoing risk posed by Murray, who has been described as a high-risk sex offender. The case was reported by The Press and Journal, highlighting Murray's pattern of non-compliance with measures designed to protect children in the community.