Ex-Edinburgh squaddie jailed for decades of child abuse

A VILE Edinburgh rapist who sexually abused young girls for more than 45 years has been jailed.
Scott appeared at the High Court in Glasgow. Picture: John DevlinScott appeared at the High Court in Glasgow. Picture: John Devlin
Scott appeared at the High Court in Glasgow. Picture: John Devlin

Sixty-year-old David Scott from Edinburgh began his campaign of abuse aged 12 and carried on until he was 57.

At The High Court in Glasgow he was handed a 12 year jail sentence after admitting to the rape of three young girls and sexually abusing another three.

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Over the years he created a climate of fear to prevent his victims speaking out.

Scott, an ex squaddie who was discharged from the Army, left one young victim so traumatised she tried to take her own life aged just 10.

Sentencing him judge Lady Stacey said: “The abuse of young girls is abhorrent.

“You moved through generations of girls. You created a culture of fear which allowed your abuse to carry on.

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“Many years ago you were reported to the police, but no action was taken due to lack of evidence, and you continued with your campaign of abuse.”

The court heard that some of Scott’s victims suffered emotional, psychological and physical trauma.

Lady Stacey told Scott that, but for his early plea, she would have jailed him for 14 years and added: “Your guilty pleas at least spared your victims giving evidence.”

The sexual abuse took place from 1970 until 2015 at various addresses in Edinburgh and Turkey.

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Sick Scott was finally brought to justice after a brave victim went to the police in 2017.

He admitted 10 charges including rape and lewd and libidinous behaviour.

His first victim was preyed on for 13 years from the age of five.

Scott told her not to tell anyone and bought her silence with cash.

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Prosecutor Angela Gray said: “She was raped on a weekly basis for five years in her teenage years.

“She would cry and tell him to stop, but he ignored her.”

The girl was also raped at a caravan park in Midlothian.

This is victim was badly traumatised due to her ordeal and twice attempted suicide. The first time when she was 10.

Another victim pretended to be asleep hoping he would go away.

A third girl who was five when the abuse began was told: “Remember our wee secret.”

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Scott went on to rape another young girl. She was just seven when he first struck.

During a sex attack, her screams were so loud a neighbour of Scott’s came out to see what was wrong.

Scott once threatened his terrified victim saying: “I’ll kill your mum if you say a word. You know that, don’t you?”

However the girl told her mother and this sparked a police probe in 1997. Scott was detained, but no charges were brought

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It meant he was able to prey on a fifth girl who was aged four to eight at the time. She was scared and would cry after the abuse.

His final victim suffered at his hands for four years until 2015 . The abuse started when she was eight.

She was raped after joining Scott and his relatives on a holiday to Turkey. The next time she saw Scott he acted as if nothing had happened.

She says she often “wakes in the night” in a “distressed condition” due to what Scott did to her.

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A fresh police investigation was sparked in 2017 when one of his victims reported the abuse.

Scott – who is now estranged from his wife - made no comment when quizzed by officers.

His defence counsel Tony Lenehan said: “He pled guilty and his victims were spared having to give evidence..”

Mr Lenehan told the court that Scott was himself a victim of sexual abuse when a young child.

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Scott showed no emotion as he was led away to begin his sentence.

He has been placed on the sex offenders’ register.

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