Abuse survivor welcomes five-year jail sentence of former Robert Burns World Federation boss Marc Sherland

An abuse survivor has welcomed the conviction of a repeat sex offender who exploited his position of trust to prey on children. 

Marc Sherland was sentenced to five years in prison at Paisley Sheriff Court after being convicted of abusing three young boys between 1988 and 1990.

The predator, 70, lured teenage boys back to his home after grooming them at a youth centre in Renfrew where he worked. 

This is the second time Sherland has been convicted of child sex offences.

He was convicted in 1991 for indecently assaulting two boys while employed as an educational support worker at Strathclyde Regional Council.

At that time he was known as Douglas Stuart Hammond and after his conviction he reportedly changed his name to Marc Sherland. 

Under the new guise, he went on to be the president of the Robert Burns World Federation – a literary society that also does outreach work with children – before leaving in December 2023. 

There are now fears that failures in public safeguarding measures may have enabled Sherland to target other children for decades. 

One survivor, who was abused by Sherland, said: “What happened to me is something I've been forced to live with, and battle with, my whole life.

“It has moulded everything about me from my attitude, personality and the way I'm able to interact with people and the world around me.

“This came with a mental toll that often showed itself through behaviours that negatively impacted my loved ones so I can’t thank them enough for their patience, support and understanding – and if they didn’t fully understand at the time because I never had the right words at that moment, then I hope they do now.

“For so long my coping mechanism was to try and downplay the effects but the weight and struggle was always there and it's only now he's convicted that I can feel that weight start to lift.

“I am really glad the jury convicted him.

“In fact, they convicted him quickly, so that offers me more assurance of knowing just how wrong all this was. 

“Being a repeat offender, he clearly has no remorse and there is a very real, very strong need to protect others from him. 

“I have no doubt that there will be others out there who are yet to get their own conviction and recognition so I would really encourage people to speak to the police as you deserve justice.”

Catherine Hammond, Partner at Digby Brown, is helping survivors with historic abuse claims in relation to abuse carried out by Sherland.

She added: “The sentencing is a significant milestone for our client and he deserves enormous credit for having the courage to report what happened to him and help bring Sherland to justice.

“The public is entitled to know how an individual with Sherland's history was able to secure positions that may have brought him into contact with children.

“We are now investigating Sherland's history and whether there were systemic failures that may have allowed other instances of abuse to continue after his convictions. 

“I would strongly encourage anyone affected to come forward and speak to the police as every survivor deserves the opportunity to have their voice heard.”