Former advocate Mark Strachan jailed for two years over sexual abuse of boys

He carried out his abuse 20 years ago when he was lawyer to the boys’ family. He touched them sexually in 1999 and 2001 at addresses in Aberdeen. A jury found him guilty by a majority verdict at trial last November.

At Aberdeen Sheriff Court he was told he had had abused his “position of authority”.

Sheriff Wallace, sentencing, said that “only a custodial sentence was appropriate” after the victims “suffered the trauma of sexual offending by a professional they trusted”.

He added: “You obtained access to your victims by deception and carried out these offences while in their home as the family solicitor.

“It’s an abuse of the position of authority you were in and that’s reflected in the impact of your offending upon your victims, who suffered the trauma of sexual offending by a professional they trusted.

“They have subsequently found difficulty trusting figures of authority.”

He will remain on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.