A convicted sex offender, who once kidnapped and tried to bury a 13-year-old boy alive, was arrested again for molesting a teenager in a supermarket toilet.

Gavin Murray, who is now 55 years old, targeted his latest victim as he was washing his hands in a supermarket toilet.

Gavin, who was locked up for 8 years for abducting a 13-year-old boy and dragging him into the woods near Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire, in 1985, ordered his victim to strip before indecently assaulting him.

Murray dug a grave, forced the boy to lie between sheets of polythene and started to cover him with the earth.

When the boy managed to escape, Murray chased him and struck him repeatedly with a hammer.

According to reports, the boy was washing his hands in a toilet in a Tesco in Bellshill when the horrible incident happened.

On Friday last week, Murray appeared at the Hamilton Sheriff Court and admitted that he sexually assaulted the 16-year-old boy.

The incident happened at a Tesco Supermarket on December 28, 2020.

Neil Thomson, prosecuting, said:

“The accused approached and grabbed him in the groin area, touching his testicles over his clothing. The boy was taken aback and started shouting at the accused. This alerted the boy’s friend, who was in a cubicle. He emerged from the cubicle to find the accused blocking his friend’s exit. The older boy challenged Murray, who headbutted him in the face. The sexual assault victim fled from the toilet and alerted security staff. It appears the older boy then struck the accused, knocking him to the ground. He was still on the floor when the police arrived and was taken to hospital for treatment to a small cut on his head.”

Neil Thomson said that the 16-year-old boy was not injured in the incident.

However, Thomson added, “His friend was extremely alarmed and concerned by the behavior of the accused towards him.”

Murray, who was remanded in custody, has also been placed on the sex offenders register.