Ian Heddle (born 21 March 1963) is a Scottish former footballer, who played for Dunfermline Athletic, St Johnstone, Forfar Athletic and Brechin City in the Scottish Football League.[1] He also had a brief stint with Newcastle Breakers in the Australian National Soccer League.[2]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 21 March 1963 | ||
| Place of birth | Dunfermline, Scotland | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Dunfermline Railway | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1983−1987 | Dunfermline Athletic | 41 | (6) |
| 1987−1991 | St Johnstone | 138 | (18) |
| 1991−1992 | Newcastle Breakers | 26 | (0) |
| 1992−1996 | Forfar Athletic | 115 | (15) |
| 1996−1998 | Brechin City | 33 | (1) |
| Kelty Hearts | |||
| Total | 353 | (40) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Sexual offences
editIn June 2024, Heddle pled guilty to the sexual assault of a child in Thailand and possession of over 270,000 indecent images of children. Police found videos of Heddle abusing a child while on a trip to Thailand in 2019, which led to his arrest. Heddle was initially charged for the possession of the indecent images at Edinburgh Airport in 2023. During the investigation, police also uncovered evidence of "contact offending" involving Heddle and an unknown young female.[3]
On 30 July 2024, Heddle was given a six-year extended sentence, with four years in custody and two years on licence once released back into the community. He was also placed on the sex offenders' register indefinitely.[4]
References
edit- ^ Ian Heddle at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Transfer Database
- ^ "Hawke to Herdle". Aussie Footballers. OzFootball.
- ^ "Former footballer Ian Heddle pleads guilty to child sex offences". BBC News. 11 June 2024. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
- ^ "Ian Heddle: Ex-Scottish footballer jailed for sexually abusing girl in Thailand". Sky News. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
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