A Perthshire pensioner has been jailed for six years after being found guilty of raping a child almost 40 years ago in Wales.
Ian Scott, 74, of Arthurstone Gardens, Meigle, was found guilty of sexually abusing a girl during the 1970s in Gwent.
The paedophile admitted kissing the victim and touching her breasts but denied other charges.
However at Cardiff Crown Court on Friday, Scott was convicted of rape and two further counts of indecent assault.
Paedophile claimed it had been ‘consensual relationship’
He claimed it had been a “consensual relationship” and told his victim, “what do you think your parents would do if they knew what you had just done?”
Scott, who committed the heinous acts while in his twenties, was caught after his brave victim came forward years later.
Reading out a personal impact statement the victim, who must remain anonymous, described the devastating impact the abuse had upon her life.
Abuse impacted victim into adult life, court hears
She told the court: “Due to what happened to me as a child I lost my ability to develop at a natural rate.
“This made me feel isolated from my peers as I could not relate to them.
“The abuse interfered with my self-esteem and has caused problems for me while growing up and as an adult.
“Keeping a secret from my family made me feel isolated and lonely.
“The abuse I suffered caused depression from a young age and I self-medicated by way of alcohol abuse.
“I started drinking as a coping mechanism from the age of 15 and this had continued into adulthood and caused very serious health issues for me.
“For the first few years of my relationship I did not feel comfortable with the sexual side of my relationship because of the abuse I suffered and it took me a long time to relax and have any enjoyment from the sexual act for myself.”
She added: “I have had two nervous breakdowns in my life and I attribute both of those to the abuse I suffered as a child and I have undergone counselling several times in my life.
“It also gave me the courage to come forward and make this complaint. I feel empowered by taking this step which has been difficult and stressful for my family and myself.”
‘You took her innocence and childhood away’
Sentencing Scott to six years in prison, Judge Jeremy Jenkins said: “You took her innocence and childhood away and exposed her to an adult world she was ill-equipped to deal with at the time.
“She was alone and had no-one to turn to. You took full advantage of that situation .
“You caused her to give evidence against you and made her relive what must have been distressing matters indeed.
“This is a dark secret the victim has had to live with for many years and had not seen the light of day.
“The time has come for you to countenance your actions and face the consequences of what you did all those years ago.”
In mitigation, as reported by Wales Online, defence barrister Heath Edwards admitted what his client did “should never have happened” but he said Scott was a “different man” now.
He claimed that Scott had lived an “impeccable” life apart from these offences, which he said happened “a long time ago”.