A former primary school teacher has been sentenced to two and a half years in jail after being convicted of a string of historic sexual offences.
Stephen Tait, 41, was sentenced today for six cases of historic sexual abuse against six boys aged between eight and nine at the time.
He was a teacher at Bells Brae primary school in Lerwick, Shetland when he committed the crimes between August 2009 and July 2010.
Tait was reported to Police Scotland in 2020 and subsequently arrested and charged with the crimes in May, 2021.
Detective Chief Inspector Craig Still said: “Stephen Tait abused his position of trust as a teacher, and I would commend the victims for coming forward and reporting his behaviour to us.
“Investigating events that have happened in the past can present challenges and it can sometimes only be with hindsight that people recognise that what happened to them was abuse.
"Police Scotland has highly trained, specialist officers, across the country who can investigate such offences and, working with partners, ensure perpetrators are brought to justice.
“We are committed to investigating all reports regardless of when abuse happened, where it took place or who was involved. We will listen, we will investigate, and we will take prompt action to ensure that no-one else is at risk of harm. We would ask anyone wishing to report abuse to contact us on 101.”
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