A Fife man has been found guilty of raping two young girls in a catalogue of sex abuse dating back to the early 1980s.
One of the victims of William Walls told his trial she was repeatedly assaulted as a child in play areas including a tree house, a field and an abandoned house, all in Cowdenbeath.
The second victim was lifted from her bed, placed on a table and raped.
A jury found William Walls, 47, of Primmer Place, Cowdenbeath, guilty of the four charges he faced at the High Court in Dunfermline after a four-day trial.
On various occasions between July 1981 and April 1989, in different locations in Cowdenbeath, he used lewd, indecent and libidinous practices towards a girl who was aged between four and 12 years during that period.
Also, on various occasions between April 1984 and April 1989 at locations in Cowdenbeath, he raped the same girl.
On various occasions between February 1987 and February 1991 at two addresses in Cowdenbeath, he used lewd, indecent and libidinous practices towards a second girl, who was aged between seven and 10 years at that time.
On an occasion between February 1989 and February 1991, at an address in Cowdenbeath he carried the same girl from her bed, placed her on a table and raped her.
The victim in the first two charges said the offences occurred when she would be out playing with friends.
“It happened for years. It happened regularly between the first time and the last time,” she told the court.
The woman said she was “too scared” to tell anybody about the abuse at the time. She told her husband many years later when she “kept getting flashbacks and memories”. However, she did not name Walls to him.
She gave a statement to police about the abuse last year.
The woman said she thought she was about six or seven when she was abused by Walls in a caravan.
She told the court about the last alleged assault in a field. “When he hurt me, I kicked him off and managed to climb a fence. He was shouting ‘I’m going to tell your dad’. I ran home. I was petrified after that when anyone came to the door. I thought it was him coming to tell my dad.”
The woman said she had not told her dad because he was an alcoholic and she feared the stress would have led to him drinking even more.
Walls was remanded in custody and will be sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow on June 30.
