Lawyer Julian Danskin has been jailed for 18 months for preying on two young Boys' Brigade members in his care.

The disgraced owner of third division East Fife Football Club and former BB captain showed no emotion as Kirkcaldy sheriff Francis Keane accused him of a complete negation of the principles of the BB movement and a betrayal of trust.

Accusing the 48-year-old of following a course of conduct which was ''pernicious, loathsome and obscene'', Sheriff Keane told Danskin that according to evidence he was a pillar of the community, but ''that appears to have been a facade which covered the degrading criminal conduct of which you have been found guilty''.

He added that the courts had to show people like him and others holding positions of trust over children, that they would not tolerate breaches of trust.

Saying that there was no alternative to a prison sentence, Sheriff Keane jailed Danskin for 18 months, ordered him to be supervised by Fife Council for nine months after his release ''to protect the public'' and placed him on the sex offenders' register for 10 years.

Earlier, Danskin's QC, Mr Edward Targowski, said that since his conviction by a jury Danskin had faced ''public disgrace'', adding: ''The fall from grace has been absolute.''

He drew the sheriff's attention to a ''spontaneous'' petition of support for Danskin bearing more than 220 names, supportive letters from BB officers and from Rotary International, plus letters from his Leven law firm, Smith and Grant, and the football club, stating the effects on them if Danskin were to be jailed.

He revealed that since the conviction Danskin, a past district governor of Rotary International's biggest European district, had resigned from the organisation and from the chairmanship of East Fife. Appealing to the sheriff not to jail him, Mr Targowski said that Danskin did not seek to mitigate his breach of trust, but urged the sheriff to balance that against what he had contributed to the community, the support shown for him and the effect on others, including his ''physically frail'' elderly mother who was totally dependent on him.

Last month a jury found Danskin, of Largo Road, Leven, guilty by a majority of three charges involving sex offences against two young BB members while he was their captain.

After a 12-day trial, the jury took less than three hours to convict Danskin of conducting himself in a shamelessly indecent manner towards a 25-year-old when he was aged between 14 and 18. He was further convicted of using lewd, libidinous and indecent behaviour to a boy aged between 8 and 14. He was also found guilty of conducting himself in a shamelessly indecent manner towards the same victim when he was aged between 15 and 18.

A fourth charge of lewd and libidinous behaviour towards a youngster aged between 10 and 14 was found not proven.

Danskin, the senior partner of Leven law firm Smith and Grant, committed the offences in Innerleven East Church hall, his offices and Silverburn House in Leven between 1985 and 1995, while he was captain of the 1st Methil BB.

The lawyer, who did not give evidence and had no evidence led on his behalf, had denied all the charges.

But the jury, which heard claims during the trial that Danskin was a control freak who displayed elements of humiliation, dominance and punishment towards wrong-doers and preyed on the vulnerable, believed his victims.

Pointing out that the conduct of a BB captain should be exemplary in terms of the trust placed in him by parents, Sheriff Keane told Danskin his conduct towards his victims had been ''a complete negation of those principles''.

Adding that Danskin had not only abused his position of trust but ''abused it in a manner they will find unforgivable'', the sheriff told him both victims ''have problems which your conduct may well have contributed to''.

Outside court one of the victims, now aged 22, said: ''I think it's great. Justice has been done well, but I think it should have been more than 18 months.

''I have had to live with this for 12 years.''

The man, whose 19-year-old brother committed suicide last year shortly after being interviewed by police investigating the Danskin case, added: ''I hope if anybody has gone through what I went through, they will come forward.

''All Danskin's QC went on about was his mother. What about everyone elses' mothers? And I have lost my brother.''

Asked if it was conceivable that Danskin could continue as a lawyer in light of the conviction, sheriff's comments and sentence, an official of the Law Society of Scotland said: ''When the society receives intimation of any criminal conviction of a solicitor then it would look into that particular issue.''

Danskin's lawyer, Mr Ron McKenzie, said later: ''An appeal is being lodged against conviction and sentence. Interim liberation is being applied for.''

An official at the Justiciary Office in Edinburgh said the question of interim liberation could not be considered until papers relating to the case were received from Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court.