A young sexual assault victim who was “scared” nobody would believe her if she contacted police about her ordeal has helped bring her assailant to justice.
David McLean, 36, targeted the female, who cannot be named for legal reasons, when she just 15 at a house in Perth sometime between January 2017 and January 2018.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard how McLean raped another girl, who also cannot be identified for legal reasons.
He started sexually abusing the child when she was just 12-years-old in August 2015 and continued to assault her until March 2019.
McLean, also Perth, denied any wrongdoing during his three day trial.
Both his victims gave evidence against him and jurors took the morning on Friday deliberating before returning guilty verdicts on a total of five charges.
Their decision prompted Lord Braid to remand McLean in custody ahead of sentencing next month.
Years of abuse
The jury heard how McLean targeted his first victim in August 2015 and spent the next four years subjecting her to repeated sexual assaults which included a rape at a location in his hometown.
The court heard how McLean targeted another young woman in an attack at a house in Perth.
The court heard that he pulled the 15-year-old on top of him before kissing her and touching her private parts.
Giving evidence, the young woman described the attack and said: “His hands were wet and cold.”
She said that she felt intimidated by McLean who she described as being “aggressive”.
She added: “I was scared that something would happen if I spoke about it.
“I felt sick and I felt anxious.”
The young woman told jurors that she didn’t speak to anybody following the attack.
She told the court: “I was scared that nobody would believe me. It retraumatized me.”
Remanded
On Friday, Lord Braid was presented with victim impact statements from both complainers.
It also emerged that McLean has previous convictions.
Defence solicitor advocate Kris Gilmartin said that his client hadn’t previously served a prison sentence and so Lord Braid would have to obtain a report on his client’s background.
He also said that he would not be making an application for bail given the nature of the charges to which McLean had been convicted of.
Lord Braid also put McLean on the Sex Offenders Register before remanding him.
He will be sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh next month.
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