Anger as house next to Glenrothes primary school still owned by paedophile

by · The Courier

Residents are calling for a house next to a Glenrothes primary school – owned by a paedophile – to be demolished.

The property on Ednam Drive in the Macedonia area, just yards from Southwood Primary School, was bought by Kenneth Bond in 2022.

It is understood he has not lived in the property since a protest in November that year and the house has been boarded up for at least a year.

Residents now want action over the “eyesore” building.

Bond, from Derby, was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life in 2019 after he was caught in a hotel room with a bag of sex toys, ropes and alcohol, waiting for a 12-year-old girl following a police sting.

Paedophile Kenneth Bond jailed after breaching court order

He moved to Fife following his release.

This month, Bond, 63, was found to have repeatedly breached a court order by staying at sites where children were present when he took a campervan tour to Scottish beauty spots.

These offences only came to light after he walked into Perth’s police station in December last year and told them he had been staying in the area.

Bond has now been jailed for a total of 20 months.

Land registry documents show Bond bought the home in May 2022 for £163,541 and still owns the property.

‘I couldn’t believe this dangerous man was living next door’

Garren Lees, who lives in the “shadows” of the house, said: “Why he was ever allowed to buy that home in the first place is a mystery.

“It essentially sits on the school grounds yet a convicted paedo came in and purchased this home, which would have been ideal for a young family.

“When I found out, I really couldn’t believe this dangerous man was living next door.”

Te house on Ednam Drive is boarded up. Image: Andrew Robson/DC Thomson
Bond bought the house in 2022. Image: Andrew Robson/DC Thomson

Garren added: “The home is an absolute mess, because of its status people are always breaking in and causing damage.

“You can see the amount of litter that just gets thrown over the wall including bags of dog waste – not to mention the tree at the corner which needs to be taken down before it comes down.

“I’ve contacted Fife Council several times about the state of the property but they won’t touch it.

“Staying metres from it is a nightmare.”

Residents brand Glenrothes house owned by paedophile ‘total eyesore’

Fellow neighbour Jeannie Barnes described the home as a “total eyesore”.

The 79-year-old said: “It’s an absolute disgrace he was allowed to buy that house in the first place.

“The only solution now is to bulldoze it given the damage caused by the kids the last few years.

The house is just yards from Southwood Primary School. Image: Andrew Robson/DC Thomson

“Given the issue with anti-social behaviour, we’ve been told that the gas and the water have been switched off to stop it going up.

“It was such a lovely house in its day and it’s a real shame what’s happened to it – but I can’t believe he got it in the first place.

“It was quite shocking when we found out.”

Fife Council has ‘no legal powers to demolish house’

Walter Kerr, who also lives on the adjacent street, told The Courier: “The building is a complete mess – surely there’s a compulsory purchase order which could be exercised to get it demolished.”

However, Garry Nicoll – Fife Council’s service manager for building standards and public safety – says the council has no legal powers to demolish the house.

He said: “We have arranged for the building to be secured on a number of occasions for safety reasons but ultimately the building’s condition is the responsibility of the owner.”