Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

EXCLUSIVE: Man abused by Dundee paedophile hits out at wait for justice as sentencing delayed 6 times

The man, who was abused by James Donaldson (pictured) as a child, says the court process feels "completely backwards".

James Donaldson
Abuser James Donaldson is awaiting sentencing.

A man who was abused by a serial Dundee paedophile has hit out at his wait for justice after sentencing in the case was delayed six times.

James Donaldson – also known as James Murray – was found guilty of four serious sexual offences following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow in October 2024.

Donaldson committed horrific offences against two youngsters at locations in and around Dundee during the 1990s.

One of his victims, now 45, is now speaking out as he waits for closure.

Man tells of ‘long road’ seeking justice against Dundee abuser

He told The Courier: “It was a horrible experience having to stand in court.

“I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of hiding behind a screen or giving video evidence.

“I wanted to give my best evidence against that monster, and he was found unanimously guilty.

“This has been a long road. I gave my first statement against Donaldson when I was just 16.”

The man had hoped to put the ordeal behind him, but Donaldson has yet to be sentenced for his crimes, despite months passing since his conviction.

Donaldson was found guilty of a string of offences last year.

Sentencing has been deferred on six occasions so far, for various reasons, including certain reports not being available to the judge.

In April, the case was put back to June 6 while the court considered the imposition of a lifelong restriction order against Donaldson.

However, that was further delayed until this week.

The victim has also accused Donaldson – who is in custody – of deliberately delaying proceedings, both during the trial and since his conviction.

The latest sentencing date has been set for this Wednesday (June 18) at the High Court in Edinburgh.

‘The current system doesn’t give a great deal of confidence to other victims’

“I’ve travelled to Aberdeen, Inverness, and Edinburgh for various dates, waiting for closure,” said the man, whose identity is protected due to the nature of the crimes against him.

“All that’s happened is the can’s been kicked down the road for various reasons.

“We’ve been told this new date might not bring me closure either.

“While I’m thick-skinned and wouldn’t label myself a ‘victim’, this process feels completely backwards.

“It feels like everything is stacked in his favour with all these delays.

“The current system doesn’t give a great deal of confidence to other victims going through this.”

Donaldson, who was once a suspect in his father’s unsolved murder, previously served a four-year prison term for sodomy and lewd, indecent and libidinous practices towards a 13-year-old boy in 1989.

Courts service says cases can be delayed for ‘a number of reasons’

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service said: “SCTS is aware of the impact delays to the justice process can have on victims and, alongside justice partners, we are continually working to improve the experience of all court users.

“Delays to sentencing can occur for a number of reasons, such as the availability of background reports requested by the judiciary, and any adjournments will only take place when necessary.”

A spokeswoman for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, which prosecutes cases, said: “The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service appreciates the impact that crime, and involvement in the justice system, has on victims.

“We work hard to support them through the prosecution process and to ensure that justice is served.”

Conversation