A pensioner could be sent to prison after being convicted of sexually abusing young children almost 60 years ago.
Raymond McCandless, 71, carried out serious sexual offences against young girls over a period which spanned nearly 20 years.
He admitted lewd and libidinous behaviour against three young girls, starting when he was a young teenager himself.
One of his victims was just four years old when he abused her.
Decades before police found out
Dundee Sheriff Court was told McCandless started abusing the girls in the summer of 1964, when he was 13 years old and his victim was seven.
The court heard one girl told the accused’s mother immediately after the first attack but she was not believed and her story was dismissed.
It was not until decades later two of the women told their husbands what had happened and McCandless was reported to police and an investigation began.
Divorced McCandless, of Finella Terrace, Dundee, admitted abusing a girl who was eight or nine on various occasions between June 1 1964 and October 31 1965.
The victim is now in her late 60s.
He admitted sexually abusing a second girl on a single occasion between April and August 1971, when she was just four years old.
McCandless admitted sexually abusing a third child, when she was aged eight and he was 30, between August 27 1981 and August 26 1983.
Four-year-old thought abuse was ‘a game’
Fiscal depute Gavin Burton told the court one girl was staying at McCandless’ family home when he crept into the bedroom and sexually assaulted her.
When the girl tried to leave the room, McCandless shoved her against a door, put his hand over her mouth and said “shoosh” to prevent her calling for help.
He also told the four-year-old to “shoosh” as he lured her to sit on his knee so he could assault her.
The girl thought it was part of a game.
She told her husband about McCandless in 1994 but it was not until she became aware of another victim in 2019 that it came to police attention.
The third victim was abused regularly and whenever they were alone, with Mr Burton telling the court it “progressed to every few days and at least once a week.”
Mr Burton said: “She knew what was going on but didn’t understand the significance of it.”
Sheriff Alistair Carmichael continued bail for McCandless and sentence was deferred for social background and restriction of liberty order reports.
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