A former Scottish football referee who secretly filmed a naked teenager in her home was jailed for two years and nine months.
Ian Hart, 37, preyed upon the girl, aged between 13 and 14, at a property in South Lanarkshire between December 2024 and June 2025.
The shamed official has been an assistant referee in matches involving Partick Thistle, Dundee United, Dundee FC, Ayr United, and Dunfermline Athletic.
Removed from active duties
The Scottish Football Association have since confirmed that Hart had been removed from active duties after his crimes came to light on October 24, 2026. Hart, of Glasgow's Scotstoun, has also been delisted and will not referee any games in future.
First offender Hart pleaded guilty to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner. He also admitted two charges of voyeurism as well as taking or permitting to be taken indecent images of children.
Sheriff Andrew McIntyre imposed a five-year extended sentence upon Hart which means he will be under supervision upon his release from prison for two years and three months.
Court details
The sheriff told Hart, who was also put on the sex offenders register for an indefinite period, that the standard period of licence "will not be adequate to protect the public from you upon release."
Sheriff McIntyre also stated: "To breach a person's intimate privacy is a profound, serious offence, particularly as it was a child in her own home."
"It would be wholly inadequate to sentence you to anything other than prison as it would not deter others and would not reflect the harm this causes."
The court previously heard how Hart had been initially snared by a female witness with images of the buttocks of clothed unknown women on his phone in 2022. Hart promised that he would not do it again.
Hart was viewing a house in 2025 when the same woman was "concerned" that he was looking in a teenage girl's wardrobe. In June that year, Hart's phone was checked which contained images of a teenager naked while getting changed in her bedroom.
Investigation and sentencing
Prosecutor Danielle McGuinness said: "The child had no knowledge of the images being taken by Hart. The woman also saw videos of the buttocks of women, one of which was a staff member outside of a child's nursery."
Hart was confronted and admitted taking the images and blamed a "mental illness." Police attended Hart's place of work in South Lanarkshire, and arrested him.
Multiple devices of his were later seized after his home was searched. Nine still and moving images of the teenager were identified.
Images of the woman witness in the shower were also recovered which she was "unaware" had been taken. Another sexual image involving the same person was further found. A further 65 "voyeuristic" images of women from behind were found in which they were fully clothed.
Paul Anderson, defending, told the sentencing that his client is now going through divorce proceedings and has lost his employment.
The lawyer added: "He has had shame and embarrassment for being charged with these offences. The consequences for these charges have been significant. There is recognition on his part about what he has done and has served as a wake up call for him."
Hart was also made subject to a five-year non-harassment order against the adult woman witness at the sentencing.
