Edinburgh man David Corcoran remanded in custody for sex attacks on children and adults

An Edinburgh man who carried out a series of savage sex attacks on children and adults over a 35 year period has been jailed.

David Corcoran sexually abused one six year old boy by touching his penis and compelling him to watch him masturbate at an address at the city’s Clovenstone area between February 1987 and September 1988.

Corcoran abused a teenage boy by performing oral sex on him, making him watch pornographic movies and making repeated attempts to force him to penetrate his anus with his penis at an address in Edinburgh between December 2007 and December 2008.

David Corcoran carried out savage sex attacks over 35 years | Alex Lawrie

The 53-year-old monster also attacked a woman by dragging her to the ground and pinning her down with the intention of raping her at an address at the capital’s Wester Hailes area in 2016.

Corcoran, now of Carmuir, South Lanarkshire, denied all the allegations against him but was found guilty by a jury on 11 out of 12 charges following a four day trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court this week.

A sheriff described the attacks as having “significant gravity” and following the jury’s decision said he had no option but to remand Corcoran in custody ahead of sentencing later this month.

The jury also found Corcoran guilty of sex assaults on four men by embracing them and touching their buttocks at addresses in Dalry, Edinburgh and East Calder, West Lothian, on occasions between 2016 and 2022.

He was also found to have committed repeated assaults on two women by striking them to the head at homes in Edinburgh on various occasions between January 1995 and September 2013.

Sheriff Kevin McCarron said: “Due to your lack of previous convictions I require to obtain a social work report before I make a final decision in terms of sentencing.

“You have been convicted of offences of significant gravity sustained over a considerable period of time and the victims are of varying ages. The gravity of your offending and the impact on your victims is substantial. 

“It is clear to me that at this stage that the only likely disposal in relation to these matters is one of custody and that for a substantial period. Accordingly I am left with no alternative other than to remand you in custody as of today’s date.”

Members of Corcoran’s family who had attended the four day trial in support of him fled the courtroom in tears following the sheriff’s decision not to release the offender on bail.

Sheriff McCarron placed Corcoran on the sex offenders register on an interim basis and deferred sentence for social work reports to be prepared to later this month.