Gymnastics pervert loses appeal bid

A DISGRACED top gymnastics instructor jailed for three years for a series of sex offences against young girls has lost an appeal against his sentence.

Mitchell Dolphin, 51, the former performance director of the Scottish Gymnastics Association, was convicted of three charges of sexual assault and seven offences of indecent behaviour against six victims aged between seven and 16 over a period of 22 years.

The coach, who ran the Lo-Gy centre in Loanhead, Midlothian, committed the abuse at a number of locations including his former home and a caravan.

Dolphin, latterly of Newtongrange, had denied the offences but after his conviction Sheriff Frank Crowe told him a custodial sentence was the only way of dealing with him.

Dolphin, who has been in jail since October last year, challenged his sentence arguing that it was excessive in length.

Lord Osborne, sitting with Lord Clarke, said in rejecting the appeal that the offender had been in a position of trust and they were not persuaded that the sheriff had erred in anyway in selecting the sentence.