AN activity centre owner has been jailed after he was convicted of preying on young boys.
Torquil Johnson-Ferguson was sentenced to 18 months in jail at Oban Sheriff Court for sexual offences against three boys which began over 30 years ago.
He was also placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for 10 years,
Johnson-Ferguson owns Rua Fiola Island in the Firth of Lorn and until recently operated an activity centre on the island.
From 1976 the centre ran week long courses during the summer months offering kayaking, rock climbing and survival skills targeted at 9-14-year-old boys from private schools throughout the UK.
It was during these courses that on three separate occasions, between 1981 and 1986, Johnson-Ferguson carried out the sexual assaults on the boys all aged 13 or under.
Speaking after the sentencing Procurator Fiscal Fraser Gibson said: “Torquil Johnson-Ferguson was in a position of trust and abused that to prey on vulnerable young boys.
“For nearly thirty years he may well have thought that he had escaped justice but he was wrong and is now paying the consequences for his actions.
“I would urge any victims of sexual crimes, even ones which occurred decades ago, to come forward and report them. They will be treated with the utmost professionalism and sensitivity by the police and our expert prosecutors and we will do all we can to deliver justice.”
