Scots sex offender jailed after sneaking on week-long sunshine holiday in Spain

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A child sex offender who sneaked abroad for a sunshine holiday with a family has been jailed for a year. Paul Scally was able to spend a week on a foreign holiday despite being recognised pre-flight in the airport by an off-duty police officer.

The eagle-eyed specialist officer from the sex offenders unit recognised depraved Scally waiting to board a flight to holiday island Fuertaventura.

The officer reported the sighting of Scally with a mixed-age family group at Edinburgh Airport shortly before the flight departure on 8 September last year.He contacted the sex offender tracking unit but because it was early in the morning the office was unmanned and no-one was able to prevent Scally boarding his flight.Scally, who was under strict monitoring rules preventing him travelling abroad without informing the authorities in advance, was able to spend an illicit week at the Spanish beach resort.Dundee Sheriff Court was told that social workers considered Scally to be of such high risk to youngsters that he should be remitted to the High Court for sentencing.However, Sheriff George Way declined to follow the advice - which could have seen Scally placed on a lifelong restriction order - and instead jailed him for 12 months.He said: "The whole purpose of these provisions is the protection of the public.

He left the country and could have been doing anything."He knew perfectly well what he was doing. He took the risk and he has to pay the price.