Marc Sherland, a convicted paedophile who changed his name and became president of the Robert Burns World Federation, has been jailed for five years after more victims of his historical abuse came forward.
The 70-year-old was found guilty in May of indecently assaulting three teenage boys at his Paisley home between 1988 and 1990. He was originally convicted in 1991 of abusing two boys aged eight and 10 when he worked as a council youth worker in Renfrew.
Disguised past and new role
Following his earlier conviction, Sherland disguised his past as a sex offender by changing his name before going on to become a cultural ambassador for Burns' poetry and the Scots language. Under his new guise, he became president of the Robert Burns World Federation, a literary society that also does outreach work with children, before leaving in December 2023.
Sentence and restrictions
Sentencing him at Paisley Sheriff Court, Sheriff Gillian Craig said a five-year prison sentence would be followed by three years of supervision after his release. She also imposed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order prohibiting him from having any contact with children for 20 years.
Survivor impact
One survivor, who was abused by Sherland, said: “What happened to me is something I’ve been forced to live with, and battle with, my whole life. It has moulded everything about me from my attitude, personality and the way I’m able to interact with people and the world around me.” He added: “Being a repeat offender, he clearly has no remorse and there is a very real, very strong need to protect others from him.”
Concerns over safeguarding
There are now fears that failures in public safeguarding measures may have enabled Sherland to target other children for decades. Catherine Hammond, Partner at law firm Digby Brown, said: “The public is entitled to know how an individual with Sherland’s history was able to secure positions that may have brought him into contact with children.”
