Stock photo of a child in the rain. (Pexels/Skitterphoto)
A Scottish man who assaulted a nine-year-old boy and shouted homophobic abuse at him is facing time in prison.
Craig Stoddon appeared at a court in Scotland last week and admitted to swearing at the child and hitting him.
Stodden shouted homophobic names at the boy and told him to get “the fuck out” of the house – the boy’s mothers house – on 7 December last year, the court heard.
“He shouted at the boy ‘get the f**k out of here’. This caused the boy to cry. The accused bent down to him and shouted ‘Why the f**k are you crying?’ and then struck him to the chest,” prosecutor Vicky McMillan said.
“This caused the boy to fall on to the floor. His mother went to see him and she told the accused to leave the child alone. The accused then called the child ‘a p***y, a gayboy and a homosexual’ and then stated ‘Get the f**k out I don’t want you in this house anymore.’”
The court heard that the boy was found alone in the rain, without shoes or a jacket, after leaving the house on Stoddon’s order.
The boy was found by people driving along the road, who thought it strange that he wasn’t wearing shoes given the heavy rain. They stopped, took the boy into their car for safety and called the police before driving to the local police station.
“As they were on the way there they were approached by the accused on a bike asking if they had seen a young boy. The accused was unable to see the child inside the car. The child was asked if he knew the accused and he said no so they continued to Irvine Police Office,” McMillan said.
“At the same time the child’s mother reported the child as missing and she was informed that he was at the police station.”
The boy was then taken to hospital, where he was found to have bruising to his chest. Stoddon was arrested, and admitted to hitting the boy and swearing at him.
The judge adjourned the case for three weeks and told Stoddon that he was facing serious punishment.
Sheriff MacFarlane said, “I was just thinking there must have been a very good reason for you to behave like this, but I can’t think of any reason why you would say that to this boy. The impact on that young boy will probably be lifelong. I’m glad I’m not sentencing you today. I’m glad I will have three weeks to reflect.”
Stoddon will be sentenced on 23 October.