A 22-year-old man who says he helped alert police to a paedophile dentist from Glasgow has told how being groomed as a 13-year-old led to years of child sexual exploitation.

He claims many of the men who paid him for sex had "respected jobs in society" including doctors, nurses, accountants and police officers and sometimes also wives and children.

The man, who we are calling Joe, says another client was high up in the legal profession and claims the grooming and abuse of young boys in Glasgow is "rife."

He says he alerted police to dentist and convicted sex offender Harry Robertson, 59, from Kelvindale, who was convicted last month of possession of indecent images of children, as young as 8,  after previously being jailed for other child abuse charges.  

Joe was placed with adoptive parents from a young age, in a Scottish local authority area, after suffering neglect by his birth parents but says the relationship broke down around the age of 12, leaving him resorting to homeless units, desperate and vulnerable to abuse.

He claims he was groomed by a school janitor in another Scottish local authority area which led to him being sexually exploited because, "it was the only form of income I could fine."

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Joe says he was paid up to £1000 in some cases for sex and offered money to travel to other cities in the UK by other men.

He said: "When I was prostituting from a young age, I met a large number of men; at some stages I went through meeting in excess of 20 men a day for a significant period of time. 

"Nearly all of the time, these men were in well  paid, respectful jobs in society often with families including a wife and children. 

"I also met a significant number of other professionals such as doctors, nurses, accountants and even police officers. Most of these men identify as straight. 

"In my opinion, male prostitutes are often seen as being an 'easier' alternative and receive a huge amount of abuse. It's seem as normal that consent isn't always adhered to.

"At the time I didn't think too much about it however upon reflection it's disgusting that these men would do this and then return to family life, pretending that everything is respectful and normal. 

"Although these men were often violent, aggressive, controlling and unpleasant individuals so it's likely they aren't respectful at home.

"I'll be driving about now and I recognise people, walking through the city centre, I'll recognise people I met through prostitution."

Glasgow Times:

Joe says he was being paid for sex as a 16-year-old by shamed dentist Harry Robertson, who practised dentistry in Paisley and Dumfries, and was struck from the dental register in 2014 for hiding his HIV diagnosis. 

Roberston pleaded guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to a fresh charge of possession and creating indecent images of children last month and is awaiting sentence.

Joe said: "He's a pretty horrific individual. I've know him since I was 16. I was working as a prostitute and someone put me in contact with him.

"He was given my number by someone else. At first I said no and then I was told he had had a lot of money.

"I went to his house over 50 times.He would always give a huge amount of money so I kept going because of that."

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Joe says the dentist attempted to show him child abuse images on a mobile phone and says he gave a statement to police, which led to his arrest.

Joe is now receiving mental health support, has a job and a girlfriend and has been reconciled with his adoptive family.

He is considering legal action against the local authority where he was schooled  for potential duty of care failures.

He said: "I've got out of it all now but it's still quite difficult because I was doing it since I was 13 until about three years ago.

"No one gets into prostitution because they want to. It never properly leaves you."

Detective Superintendent Donna Duffy, of Police Scotland's Public Protection Unit, said: "Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) is a high priority for Police Scotland and we continue to work closely with our partner agencies to allow the early identification of signs of CSE and to ensure children at risk are protected. 

"CSE can affect children and young people within all communities and so it is vital that we continue to raise awareness of CSE in order to increase the reporting of concerns and also for children to be able to recognise situations where they or their peers may be at risk of becoming victims. 
"Any child who feels unsafe should be reassured that they are not alone and we would encourage then to speak to a parent or adult they trust. 

"Similarly if an adult has concerns about a child then they should report this to the police or local social work teams. We take all reports of CSE seriously and together with our partner agencies will ensure we take all possible steps to protect and support children at risk of harm."

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