Sex crime
Teenage pupil slams sentence handed out to pervert teacher who groomed her aged 13
KYLE YOUNG was given a three-year community payback order and was put on the sex offenders' register but Rebecca Forrester, now 16, is proud of her actions.
Mark McGivernChief Reporter
Rebecca Forrester was 13 when she was targeted by Kyle Young
A SCHOOLGIRL who was terrorised by her pervert teacher on Facebook hit out last night after he escaped jail.
But as creepy Kyle Young walked free from court, his victim Rebecca Forrester said she was proud that her actions had put an end to his teaching career.
Young, 26, was given a three-year community payback order and was put on the sex offenders' register for three years after his sleazy approaches to Rebecca, then 13, on Facebook.
Hamilton Sheriff Court had heard how the technology teacher contacted Rebecca on the social network and began sending private messages saying she was "stunning" and "sexy".
He originally tried to mask his identity but later admitted who he was, which shocked pupils at Clyde Valley High School in Wishaw, Lanarkshire.
Rebecca said: "I think the sentence was soft and he is lucky not to be going to jail. I expected a tougher punishment. But I don't regret for a minute stepping forward and letting people know what he was up to."
Rebecca, now 16, revealed she had received great support from her friends and schoolmates over Young.
She said: "Absolutely everyone believes I did the right thing. It wasn't right that he was behaving like that on Facebook and he had to be stopped."
Kyle Young was placed on the sex offenders' register for three years
Young's conviction and his inclusion on the sex offenders' register mean he is certain to be banned from the classroom by the General Teaching Council.
Rebecca added: "If this punishment means that he isn't able to teach any more then I think that will be justice. He shouldn't have a position of trust like that again."
Yesterday, Sheriff Thomas Miller told Young: "This is a very unusual case and I'm sure that you know the consequences are quite clear. I am ordering a community payback order and you will be under
supervision for a lengthy period of three years. You will also be placed on the sex offenders' register for a period of three years."
After Rebecca told her gran about the exchanges online, the police were called and Young was suspended from his job.
Young, from Motherwell, was arrested and earlier pled guilty to sending sexual messages to Rebecca in March 2011.
Speaking outside court, Rebecca's mum Leanne McAuley, 36, said: "I am disgusted that he wasn't sent to prison.
"He was basically just let off and we are not happy about that. He was Rebecca's teacher and in a position of power and trust. Hopefully because Rebecca was brave enough to report this it will stop him doing it to anyone else."
Rebecca added "I didn't want everything I went through with the police and school and everything to be for nothing.
"I'm glad I came forward and I'd tell anyone else who is ever in my position to do the same. It didn't go very far with me, but it could have been worse.
"I want to put it behind me now and concentrate on my future, exams and school."
Jacqui Spiers, prosecuting, previously told how shamed Young added Rebecca as a Facebook friend and began to chat to her.
He asked her to send pictures but backtracked and asked her not to report him when she refused.
Ms Spiers said: "She received a friend request on social networking website Facebook from the accused.
"She accepted the request as she did not recognise the name and wanted to find out who it was.
"The accused then said: 'It's Kyle. Someone fraped me. You won't say anything please? Will you grass me in?'"
Ms Spiers added: "Fraped is an expression used on Facebook when someone leaves their phone or computer unattended and someone else posts on their behalf pretending to be them."
A North Lanarkshire Council spokesman said yesterday: "As soon as we became aware of these allegations, we carried out a full investigation.
"Mr Young has not worked for North Lanarkshire since 2011 and has been reported to the General Teaching Council."