Celtic Boys Club founder guilty of abusing teenage boy in Drumchapel

James Torbett, 75, has been on trial at the High Court in Inverness for offences which occurred between 1967 and 1968 while he was a coach of a football team.

The first charge states he indecently assaulted a 13-year-old boy at a toyshop in Glasgow's Maryhill, while a separate charge says he targeted the boy while in a vehicle in Drumchapel.

Torbett was also charged with using lewd, indecent and libidinous practices towards the boy, as well as touching him on the body while he was sleeping at a flat in north Glasgow. 

He will now serve a further three years on top of his current six-year sentence for sexually abusing boys. 

In the wake of Torbett's conviction, Detective Inspector Jim McLauchlan of the National Child Abuse Investigation Unit said: “We hope this conviction brings some measure of closure to his victim.

"We are very aware of how difficult it can be to report being a victim of child abuse.

"It can take many years before people feel able to report.

"Our assurance to anyone who may have been a victim of child abuse is that when they are ready to report we will listen, we will investigate and we will take prompt action to ensure that no one else is at risk of harm.‎

"We are all responsible for protecting Scotland's children. It is up to all of us to recognise when a child may be at risk and to take steps to protect them and to prevent harm.

"It is also up to us to create an environment where people feel able to report being a victim of sexual crime without feeling shame.

"We would ask anyone who has concerns or information about any person who may pose a risk to children, or who may have abused a child, to contact Police Scotland on 101.”