A Fife man has been sentenced to 13 years and 6 months in prison for sexually abusing children and assaulting two women over the last 30 years.
Today officers acknowledged the sentencing of James Whitton Kerr, 41, after previously pleading guilty at the High Court in Glasgow to seriously sexually assaulting three children and seriously assaulting two women.
Kerr committed the abuse against the children, then aged between 8 and 16 years old, at various addresses in Dunfermline, Fife, between 1991 and 2015.
He also violently assaulted two women, in Fife between 1998 and 2019.
Detectives from Police Scotland’s Public Protection Unit in Fife began an investigation into Kerr after a woman came forward to report the non-recent sexual abuse Kerr had subjected her to. He was subsequently arrested and charged on 6 June, 2019.
Detective Constable Ross French from Fife’s Public Protection Unit said: “I would once again like to thank the victims in this case who assisted our officers with this investigation. It is not easy reliving these types of incidents, however by doing so it has meant that Kerr now has to face up to the consequences of his actions.
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“I hope that his conviction and sentence will serve to bring some form of closure to his victims but I also hope that it sends a clear message to others that there is no place for this type of behaviour.
“James Kerr subjected the children involved in this case to horrific levels of sexual abuse and subjected two women to serious physical violence. I would like to take this opportunity to urge any man, woman or child who has or is being subjected to any form of abuse or harm to please get in touch with police and report it.
“We treat all reports of sexual crime seriously, no matter when the offence happened, with the utmost professionalism and sensitivity and we will thoroughly investigate in order to bring perpetrators of such crimes to justice.
“With the aid of partner agencies, there is also help available to assist victims to break free from these types of harmful situations. If you or someone you know is a victim of abuse please do seek the courage to report it.”
