Sex offender Cronin freed

Cronin: "Substantial criminal history"

Notorious sex offender John Cronin has walked free from court after admitting the theft of £75 from a pensioner.

Cronin, originally from Tranent, in East Lothian was sentenced to two weeks in jail but was released from the magistrates court at Warley in the West Midlands because of time already spent in custody.

He gained notoriety in Scotland for a serious sexual assault on a Conservative Party worker and other offences.

The 31-year-old appeared in court earlier this week and changed his not guilty plea to theft from an elderly woman he met at a religious retreat.

You have also got an horrendous record of similar offences of theft and fraud

Rosemary Tyler
Chairman of the bench

Cronin was arrested last week when he arrived back in the UK after completing a jail term in the Irish Republic.

Passing sentence, chairman of the bench Rosemary Tyler told Cronin: "It has to be said that this is very mean crime against someone you had become friendly with.

"In our opinion it verges almost on a breach of trust and we take that very seriously.

"You have also got an horrendous record of similar offences of theft and fraud.

"We do take this matter seriously albeit the amount was small."

The court heard how Cronin had met the woman, who was 80 at the time, about 18 months before visiting her house on 4 November, 2001.

He said he intended to make a donation to one of the charities she was running.

He ate lunch with the woman, her daughter and granddaughter and wrote out a cheque for £500.

However, after he left, the woman noticed £40 was missing from a sideboard in the hall and a further £35 was taken from a room.

Cronin was arrested by police at Manchester Airport on 22 May.

'Criminal history'

Geraldine Toal, defending, said he was "deeply ashamed" about the theft, which was "committed on impulse".

She revealed that Cronin had finished the first year of a university course while living with relatives in Birmingham.

She said: "He is a man with a substantial criminal history as you have seen.

"But I would ask you to take into account that, before the committing of this offence, he had not been before the courts for some two-and-a-half years.

Cronin was ordered to pay £75 compensation to the woman, who is now 82.

Cronin was once jailed for life the attack on the party worker but his sentence was reduced to six years on appeal.

After his release from prison for that attack, Cronin continued to reoffend, impersonating at different times a priest, a doctor, a politician and a member of a prominent Edinburgh family which owns a city store.