A solicitor has been found guilty of attempting to blackmail a man who abused him as a child.
A jury at Haddington Sheriff Court convicted Michael Wright (39), from Bridge of Allan, of attempting to extort £25,000 from the man, whose identity cannot be disclosed, despite his defence arguing that the letter in question – which was unsigned, due to an oversight according to Wright – was a legitimate claim for compensation. The Crown described it as "a standard threatening letter of blackmail".
Wright was one of three boys abused by the man, now a pensioner, at his home in the 1980s, when they went for music lessons.
At the time of the offence, Wright was working as a legal adviser at Livingston Justice of the Peace Court. The letter was franked as from Livingston Sheriff Court and demanded payment within four weeks or the man's employer would be informed of his conviction.
Sheriff Peter Braid deferred sentence until January.
