A paedophile who raped and assaulted children as young as six in an 11-year campaign of abuse has been jailed.
A judge at Edinburgh High Court sentenced William Wingate to 13 years in prison for sexually assaulting five girls and raping three of them between 1986 and 1997.
Police said the 58-year-old “abuse the trust of his victims’ families” to target the girls, using houses and cars around western Scotland.
He started abusing his youngest victim when she was six, raping her in Paisley two years later, then raped his second victim between the ages of eight and 11 and the third when she was between 12 and 15 years old.
Wingate, of Lockerbie, denied all charges but was found guilty on 10 counts.
He was previously convicted of rape in 1981, serving four years in prison, and has other convictions for violent crime and drug dealing, the Gazette reported.
The court ordered that he would remain on the sex offenders register indefinitely after hearing evidence that Wingate would not cooperate with any attempts to reduce his risk of offending.
Detective Inspector Louise Harvie from the Public Protection Unit based in Renfrew, praised the bravery of the victims who testified in court.
“William Wingate is behind bars as a direct result of the bravery of his victims who stood up in court and relived the harrowing details of the abuse they suffered as children,” she said.
“The experiences these young girls were subjected to will no doubt have had a lasting impact on their lives and I hope the knowledge that their tormentor is finally facing justice provides some comfort to them.
“William Wingate was an opportunistic predator who abused the trust of his victim’s families to carry out the most unforgivable acts.”
DI Harvie said his conviction “sends a clear message to perpetrators who prey on young children”, adding: “No matter how much time has passed, you will never be safe from justice, and our specialised officers will work to identify your victims and offer them the support to speak up and close the door on your despicable crimes.”
