A retired British Transport Police officer who sexually abused a child for five years – and then tried to blame her for his own despicable actions – has been jailed.
Remorseless Christopher Aldridge admitted two charges of using lewd, indecent and libidinous practices and behaviour towards the youngster.
The abuse began when the victim was just nine, Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard.
Aldridge would play ‘tickle and chase’ games with the girl before pinning her down and touching her breasts and lower private parts.
The abuse, which started in the mid 2000s, happened on “multiple occasions in the same way” until she was 14.
Aldridge asked the girl not to tell anyone what had happened because he would get into trouble.
The 76-year-old first offender, of Golf View in Cardenden, was jailed for four-and-a-half years on Wednesday.
Victim blaming
Sheriff Charles Macnair told the pensioner he had sexually abused the girl “regularly” for five years.
The sheriff said: “It started perhaps innocently, although in hindsight that could be described as grooming, and it then escalated to very serious sexual abuse, including penetrative abuse.
“The (social work) report makes it abundantly clear that you blame (the girl) for this behaviour.
“You show no remorse in my view, apart from remorse of being caught.”
Sheriff Macnair added: “You deliberately declined to talk to a counsellor when you sought counsellor advice because you thought that might provide corroboration of (the girl’s) evidence and – even now – according to this report, you minimise what you had done and you blame (the girl) where, of course, she was far too young to be blamed for anything.
“You had been a police officer who should have been upholding the law and protecting people like (the girl), not abusing them.
“I have considered long and hard whether to remit this case to the High Court of Justiciary for sentencing. Had you gone to trial I undoubtedly would have done.
“Because of your plea I am able – just – to sentence you within my powers”.
Sheriff Macnair sentenced Aldridge to four-and-a-half years in prison, reduced from six years to take account of his early guilty plea.
Aldridge was placed on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely.
Investigation
Fiscal depute Catherine Fraser told the court that in 2012, Aldridge told a counsellor he had sexually abused the child. The counsellor then contacted police.
An investigation was carried out but no further action was taken at this time as full details of the abuse were not disclosed.
In 2021 the girl, now a woman in her 20s, provided a full statement to police after her memory was triggered.
The fiscal depute said Aldridge had initially lived in England, then moved to Scotland and lived at various addresses before moving to Dunfermline.
Ms Fraser said he was a British Transport Police officer before retiring around 2002 and went on to become a driving instructor.
‘Upstanding’ community member
Prior to sentencing on Wednesday, defence lawyer Stephen Morrison stressed that his client was a first offender and that his conduct ended many years ago.
At the earlier court hearing, Mr Morrison said Aldridge’s offending appeared to have “started innocently as a game of tickle and chase” before he began acting on inappropriate thoughts.
The solicitor said his client had expressed what appears to be some level of insight into his own behaviour and the effect it had, and still has, on his victim.
Mr Morrison said Aldridge, who lives with his wife, had otherwise seemed to have been an “upstanding member of the community” and “attended church on a regular basis”.
He said his client has not been attending church because it would mean him being supervised, and he did not want to place the church in that position.
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