Man, 82, jailed for ‘sadistic’ offences against children

A “BRUTAL, sadistic and depraved” ex-Army boxer convicted of a string of rapes, assaults and incidents of torture against eight different children will die in jail, a court was told.

Thomas Riley, aged 82, of Moredun Park Gardens, Edinburgh, threatened to nail one of his victims’ hands to a door after “rambling about Jesus”, the court previously heard.

The High Court in Dumbarton heard yesterday that Riley’s aggressive behaviour was “often fuelled by drink”. Jailing him for nine years, judge Lord Pentland said it had been “brutal, sadistic and depraved”.

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Even with time off for “good behaviour”, the sentence will make him at least 88 before he walks the streets again.

Mark Stewart QC, defending, said Riley, who suffers from serious health problems, was unlikely to live that long.

Mr Stewart said: “He is likely to spend the rest of his life in custody.” Riley, was found guilty last month of offences dating back to the mid-1960s.