Detectives have lifted the lid on the investigation that snared notorious Fife child rapist Brandon Robb and brought him to justice.
The 28-year-old preyed on two little girls and a young boy at locations in Leslie between May 2011 and May 2015.
He also terrified two women in the town between November 2019 and February 2023.
Yesterday, Robb was sentenced to seven years in jail and put on the sex offenders register for life. He was found guilty at a trial in February.
18-month investigation into multiple historical rape allegations
The Non Recent Child Rape Investigation Team were first alerted to the historical sexual offending after one of the victims came forward in December 2021.
It triggered an 18-month investigation that saw more victims come forward with their own harrowing experiences.
Detective Sergeant Alasdair Young, who led the investigation, has spoken exclusively to The Courier about the victim’s courage, recounting the horrendous abuse they were subjected to at the hands of Robb.
DS Young and his team used case law dating back to the 1930s, which relates to a person accused of two or more separate offences connected in time and circumstances.
He explained: “Known as the Moorov Doctrine, it allows the evidence of the witness of one crime to corroborate the evidence of another witness to a second crime.
“Given that we were dealing with historical cases, the doctrine was crucial when we had the mounting evidence from more than one victim.”
Detectives faced investigating some of the most serious crimes perpetrated within such a close-knit village, where anti-police feelings often ran deep with certain sections of the community.
Wide-reaching police investigation into Brandon Robb
Therefore, it took the immense skills of trained officers to reassure victims who may otherwise not come forward.
“We had to reach out to other potential victims and witnesses,” said DS Young.
“In addition, we took a detailed look at Robb’s lifestyle.
“We looked at who he was friends with, who his associates were, past relationships and acquaintances, in the hope it would uncover potential victims.
“Key moments in the investigation came every time we found another victim, which strengthened the case.
“Historically, we came across a number of previously reported incidents that had been investigated but found to have insufficient evidence at the time.
“This all fed into a wider pattern of offending that would be assessed with fresh eyes.
“We were indebted to victims who could still provide photographic evidence of injuries, screenshots of conversations and video footage.”
With the case mounting against Robb, a warrant for his arrest was issued in June 2023, though several attempts to trace Robb’s whereabouts proved fruitless.
The breakthrough came two months later after reports of a serious disturbance involving knives, which Robb was linked to, in the Leslie area.
Information was received that Robb was at an address close by.
Following a short chase, police arrested Robb, who was remanded.
Unable to interview Robb, detectives set about building a case against him.
Robb was later convicted of the vile historical rapes and domestic abuse.
None of his victims can be identified for legal reasons.
‘Urban hunter’ had 21 previous convictions
Following his conviction, it was revealed that Robb had 21 previous convictions and had served time in prison.
Robb gained notoriety as a self-styled “urban hunter” when he posted pictures of himself and his dog hunting deer in the Scottish countryside on social media.
He was jailed in 2014 after admitting to using his pet to hunt and kill a rare piebald deer.
He killed the deer while awaiting sentencing for stealing 30 ducks from a farm in Fife.
Robb was the subject of a Police Scotland missing persons alert in August 2020, but taunted police officers on his Facebook account, saying he had “gone fishing” in England.
He is awaiting sentencing at the sheriff court for similar matters.
After today’s sentence, DS Young paid tribute to the bravery of the victims who had to relive some of the worst offending imaginable to ensure Robb faced justice.
He said: “It is the sheer bravery and determination of those victims who came forward that was the difference in Robb being found guilty and him escaping justice.
“We hope this case acts as further reassurance for other potential victims, be it at the hands of Robb, or anyone else, will be taken seriously and listened to and their information acted upon.
“We will continue to support anyone who comes forward as victims of crime and we urge them to come forward.”
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