The brother of Paige Doherty’s killer has been forced to take a leave of absence from his job offshore after a court heard of his conviction for a sex offence.
John Leathem is facing a life sentence for murdering the Clydebank teen.
But when his case called this week, he revealed his brother George’s past conviction for a sex offence.
George Leathem had been in the second week of a three-week rotation working as a scaffolder offshore for Bilfinger Salamis in the North Sea when the news emerged.
It’s understood colleagues then became aware of the offshore worker’s previous conviction and bosses offshore spoke to Bilfinger management about whether Leathem should take a leave of absence.
He was flown back to Aberdeen on the first available helicopter.
A spokesperson for Bilfinger said: “Following media stories concerning his past, Mr Leathem has taken a voluntary leave of absence until further notice.
“Bilfinger was unaware of his previous convictions at the time of his appointment.
“As his conviction is spent and he is no longer on the sex offenders’ register, he has not broken the terms of his employment and there are no grounds for dismissal.”
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