A Fife “monster” who abused young boys over a 17-year-period has been jailed for six years.
Pensioner John Smith preyed on vulnerable boys at properties in Dundee and Fife between 1985 and 2002.
At the High Court in Glasgow yesterday, the 65-year-old was told by judge Lord Burns: “Your actions have had devastating consequences on the boys for all their lives.”
Smith, who walks with a stick, was placed on the sex offenders’ register.
As the sentence was passed, a relative of one of his victims said: “Six years, is that all?”
Smith, of Logie, near Cupar, had denied plying underage teens with alcohol, performing sex acts on them, touching their private parts and forcing them to view pornographic material.
He faced a total of 18 charges and was found guilty of 15 after a trial at the High Court in Aberdeen.
Prosecutor Jim Keegan had described Smith as a “sly sexual predator” who preyed on “young vulnerable boys.”
One of his victims, now a 41-year-old man who had previously branded Smith a “monster”, said: “I am glad he’s behind bars and we have to move on.
“But the sentence is pretty disgusting. He should have got a lot more time in prison.”
He added: “Thankfully for all of us, there isn’t going to be another 10 years dwelling on the past.
“We do accept the decision from the court but we definitely feel it should have been much more.
“All we can hope is that this can only encourage more victims to come forward.
“I know there are more out there and the best thing that can happen is that more people come forward and something can get done.”
Another victim said: “It’s mixed emotions. Fair enough he got six years in prison, but I was expecting more to be honest.”
Smith showed no emotion as he was led away to begin his sentence.
