Oliver James Bond/Lucas Cole
Oliver Bond (aka Lucas Cole), a violent male who identifies as non-binary, was convicted at Perth Sheriff Court in June 2023 of a series of sex offences – one of them perpetrated when the victim was a child. As is all too common, Bond received a non-custodial sentence, despite being a repeat sex offender – his solicitor apparently told the court that his client would be “particularly vulnerable” in prison.
Bond, 32, is believed to have changed his name after a previous sexual assault conviction and was referred to throughout the trial and sentencing as Lucas Cole and “mainly by the pronouns they/them” – it is unknown if Bond’s victim was compelled to use them.
Bond carried out the first serious sex attack on the child – a 15 year old boy – at an address in Milnathort in Scotland in 2010 while he was asleep and incapable of giving consent, and later perpetrated a further sexual assault on the same victim between 2013 and 2014 and another sexual assault (while the victim was asleep) between 2014 and 2016.
Sheriff David Hall placed Bond on the sex offenders register for five years and under social work supervision for 18 months. Bond was also placed on a curfew for six months and ordered to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work as a direct alternative to custody. The sheriff said: “With some hesitation I am going to allow you to remain at liberty. You were convicted by the jury of all three charges. You just don’t get the seriousness of this matter.”
It emerged during the trial that Bond, then aged 28, had previously been convicted at the High Court in Edinburgh in October 2019 of sexually assaulting a 24 year old transgender victim in very similar circumstances. The victim had been asleep/unconscious and unable to consent after consuming excess alcohol, and had woken to find Bond touching their penis after putting his hand inside their underwear. Bond escaped a custodial sentence, instead being ordered to carry out 200 hours unpaid work. At the time, The Times reported that Bond had originally also faced an allegation of rape but was acquitted of that allegation at a five-day trial at the High Court in Livingston in September 2019.
Image via The Scottish Sun
Media reports
The Times https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/non-binary-sex-attacker-avoids-jail-after-molesting-sleeping-child-jppxm9cb5 archive
The Times https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/distressing-attack-on-trans-woman-qm6wjjfr6 archive
Daily Record https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/scots-sex-attacker-who-molested-30457175 archive
The Scottish Sun https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/10951729/non-binary-sex-beast-oliver-bond-fife-molest-child/ archive
The Scottish Sun https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/4861926/sexual-assault-perth-transgender-penis/ archive
The Courier https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/courts/4553191/milnathort-sex-attack-teen/ https://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-courier-advertiser-angus-and-the-mearns-edition/20230606/281638194598045