A child abuser has been jailed for four and a half years – after one of his victims came forward on Facebook after his trial had started.
Stewart King subjected three young kids to horrific physical abuse before going on to sexually assault two young girls.
He originally went on trial last year facing four charges – but that trial had to be scrapped after another victim of King’s campaign of sexual abuse came forward on the social networking site.
She posted a reply to a newspaper report on the case that had been shared on the site claiming she had also been a victim of King.
That prompted prosecutors to approach her and resulted in a further charge being added to the indictment against King.
Now he has been convicted of an 18-month campaign of abuse of that girl – as well as four other child abuse charges.
King shook his head as the sentence was read out and stared at his weeping victims as he was handcuffed and led to the cells.
In her Facebook post the woman wrote: “Ten years ago when he was trying it on with me if they had listened it would never have happened to [the other sex assault victim].
“And as for assaulting the kids he used to beat f*** out of them the ugly child molesting b******.
“He deserves to be tortured to death f***** dirty scumbag.
“Turns my guts to bits.”
A trial at Dundee Sheriff Court heard how King’s first victim – who came forward via Facebook – had been attacked on various occasions between June 1 2005 and December 31 2006, when she was aged 18 and 19.
A jury found King unanimously guilty.
The court heard over the course of almost four years between July 2010 and March 2014 King repeatedly launched violent attacks on three young children.
One, who was aged from 12 to 16 over the course of the attacks was punched, kicked and had objects thrown at her.
The second victim – aged 11 to 15 throughout the attacks – was punched and kicked on the head and body and kicked on her legs.
King, 56, of Forres Avenue, Dundee, denied three charges of assault to injury, one under the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act and one of indecent assault.
Defence solicitor Kym Samson said: “He is still of the position that he didn’t commit the offences.
“He does understand that a custodial sentence is inevitable in this case.
“There have been no other analogous previous convictions of a sexual nature in his past.”
Sheriff Lorna Drummond QC jailed King for a total of four and a half years and placed him on the sex offenders’ register for life.
She said: “You have been convicted by the jury of five charges, serious charges of sexual and violent offences against children.
“You violently assaulted three children, the youngest aged seven.
“You committed sexual offences against a 14-year-old girl and a 17-year-old girl.
“They were committed over a three and four year period.
“These are very serious charges and they warrant custody, and that’s the only appropriate sentence.”
King lowered his head and blew out his cheeks as the sentence was read out.
His victims, sitting immediately behind the dock, wept and called out “beast” as he was cuffed and led to the cells.