Former social care officer jailed for abusing vulnerable girls in Oban
He was handed a 10 year sentence with 8 years in custody.
A former social care officer has been sentenced to eight years in prison for grooming, assaulting, and raping vulnerable girls in his care between 1999 and 2001 in Oban.
Fifty-six year-old Alexander Boyd, also known as Sandy, targeted the victims while employed at a residential unit for looked-after children.
He was convicted on four charges on 3rd November 2025 after a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.
The trial heard how he started to manipulate victims under the guise of friendship.
Witnesses, including Boyd’s former colleagues, detailed concerns about his behaviour, which were supported by historic personnel and social work records.
Failure to maintain boundaries
The court heard how Boyd failed to maintain appropriate boundaries, using personal resources to establish contact with one girl, such as providing mobile phone top-up cards and driving both victims in his private vehicle.
A statement from one victim, who passed away before the trial, was submitted along with her recorded police interview as evidence of Boyd’s actions.
Boyd was arrested and charged in November 2022 before being found guilty of the charges last year.
Eight years behind bars
On 7th January 2026, Boyd received a 10-year extended sentence, including eight years in custody, at the High Court in Glasgow.
His name was added indefinitely to the sex offenders register, and a Non-Harassment Order was also granted.
Faye Cook, Procurator Fiscal for High Court Sexual Offences, said Boyd had exploited his role at the residential unit to groom and abuse girls who should have been safe under his care.
One survivor shared a statement to encourage others affected by sexual abuse:
‘We should never carry the shame of what others have done to us, that shame belongs only to them. Our voices are our power, and silence is the only power they ever had.’