A Fife paedophile who preyed on youngsters over a 42-year period has been jailed for six years.
At the High Court in Glasgow, Bryan Grimes, who lived in Methil at the time of the offending, was also given an Order for Life Long Restriction for child abuse crimes in Fife and Ayrshire following his conviction in November, and was also placed on the sex offenders register for life.
The order means Grimes will stay behind bars until the Parole Board decide it is safe to release him.
The 58-year-old was found guilty of nine charges of physical and sexual abuse, including rape, against children following a trial at Livingston High Court last year.
The offences were committed in the Anstruther, Methil, Leven, and Cumnock areas between 1975 and 2017.
The victims were boys and girls, all under the age of 16.
One of the victims told how Grimes sexually abused her at addresses in Fife from 1980 onwards when she was between the ages of four and 10.
Grimes was the subject of an investigation by Police Scotland’s National Child Abuse Investigation Unit after officers from the Public Protection Unit in Fife began inquiries into him in October 2017.
Detective Inspector Craig Watson, from the National Child Abuse Investigation Unit, said: “We welcome the sentencing today of Bryan Grimes who will now face the consequences of his appalling crimes.
“Due to the risk he poses to the public, Grimes received an Order for Life Long Restriction, which means he will only be released at the end of the sentence when authorities are completely satisfied that he is safe to do so.
“In all cases of child abuse, Police Scotland will always conduct a thorough and robust investigation, no matter how long ago the crimes occurred.
“I’d like to thank the bravery for the victims for firstly coming forward and reporting the actions of Grimes that allowed our investigations, and secondly for their strength and courage throughout the trial process.
“I hope today’s sentence will allow them to begin to move forward with their lives.”
Following the jury’s verdicts, Lady Rae told Grimes she believed he thought he was entitled to use children for his own “deviant sexual needs or requirements”.
She remarked: “He’s clearly a high risk offender. My impression of the accused when he gave evidence was that he displayed an arrogance which in all my years I’ve never seen before.
“An arrogance; a complete lack of remorse; continually abusing young children; no sense of shame, no empathy for the victims – and the jury saw those children giving evidence and saw the impact on them some years later.
“It was as if he thought he was quite entitled to do what he was doing, that was the impression I got as an observer.”
DI Watson urged anyone with any concerns or information about child abuse to report these to Police Scotland on 101, or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
