A Fife man who rubbed a boy’s face in urine-soaked bedsheets and tightened a plastic bag over his head during a course of abuse against six children has been jailed, despite claims he is a “good person to heart”.
George Grant’s crimes involved either physical violence, indecent behaviour or neglect towards his victims across 13 years in Fife.
A trial at Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard he assaulted one girl from when she was four years old and would often strike her, once hitting her head against a sink, which she believes caused her to suffer tinnitus.
On one occasion Grant used lewd, indecent and libidinous practices and behaviour towards the girl by inducing her to play strip poker and asking her to remove her clothing.
She said: “He was a monster”.
He also showed her and two other girls pornographic videos and touched one on the breasts over her clothing.
Grant also wilfully ill-treated, neglected and abandoned four children in a manner likely to cause them unnecessary suffering or injury to health.
This included inducing one child to eat food off the floor and another to drink alcohol.
Grant’s position during the trial was that he could not remember anything due to heavy drinking at the time.
A jury found him guilty of nine charges and he was remanded.
High Court considered
Grant, formerly of Oakfield Street, Kelty, appeared in court for sentencing by video link from prison.
Sheriff Charles Macnair said his many years of abuse and neglect – between January 1992 and May 2005 – will have had a lasting impact on all of his victims.
“The difficulty I have had in considering the appropriate sentence is whether I can deal with these cases properly or whether I should remit the case to the High Court of Justiciary for sentencing.”
He said on one view, the sentence Grant should receive is “significantly higher” than five years – the maximum available at sheriff court level – because many of the sentences should run consecutively.
But he said he was “just able” to sentence him and jailed him for five years and made an indefinite non-harassment order against two of Grant’s victims who gave evidence.
‘Good person to heart’
Defence lawyer Brian Black described Grant’s social work report as “troublesome” and said his client held “some strange views of the justice system.”
The solicitor added: “But he tells me, in relation to the whole event, the person who once had these alcohol difficulties no longer exists.
“He tells me ‘I’m a good person to heart and wish to continue to contribute to my community in a meaningful way. I have projects to complete on release’.”
The solicitor said his client would engage in any available behaviour changing programmes.
‘Horrible’ abuse
One of Grant’s victims told the trial she saw him put a plastic bag over a boy’s head and “tightened it so he could not breathe” when he was about six years old.
She also witnessed Grant rubbing the boy’s face in urine-soaked sheets and telling him “he was a dog”.
Other assaults by Grant included striking the boy’s head against a wooden staircase and with the back of a chair.
She also witnessed Grant spraying a bottle of deodorant in the youngster’s mouth.
The woman recounted many instances during which Grant had smacked or struck her on the head and, although no evidence was led in court regarding the cause, she blamed him for the the “constant” tinnitus she has suffered since she was six.
The woman recalled him getting her to play strip poker as a 12-year-old and said she had been given alcohol.
A jury found him guilty by majority of two counts of assault on various occasions against a boy and a girl and returned unanimous guilty verdicts on seven other charges.
This included physical assaults on various occasions against another boy and girl which, according to court papers, started when they were both under the age of two.
It also included four charges of Grant using lewd, indecent and libidinous practices towards three girls.
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