A vile Coatbridge paedophile who conducted a horrific campaign of sexual abuse upon two young girls for almost two decades has been jailed.
Predatory pensioner Frank McLeary, 67, carried out a series of depraved acts on the children for 17 years and his appalling actions were only uncovered when one of his young victims bravely spoke out to a relative.
McLeary, of Blairgrove Court, was caged for 12 years last week after pleading guilty to all the charges against him at the High Court in Glasgow in June.
Prior to sentencing, the fiend showed a complete lack of remorse over his crimes – and was even witnessed smirking in the dock. A relative of one of McLeary’s victims said: “He has torn our family to bits with his actions.
“If it were not for the bravery of one of these young girls, who spoke to a relative about what he’d been doing to her, he would still be getting away with his despicable behaviour.
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“It was said in court that the reports on him noted he showed no remorse at all for his actions. In fact, during his sentencing, I even witnessed him laughing and trying to joke.”
The relative continued: “The things McLeary did were truly disgusting and I feel so sorry for the girls whose lives he has ruined.
“All the emotions that had built up over the years came flooding back to them when they heard he had been jailed for 12 years.
“We just hope they can now get on with their lives and try to forget about this terrible excuse for a man.”
Last March the Advertiser reported that McLeary had been placed under supervision and added to the sex offenders’ register after pleading guilty to abusing another girl under the age of 13.
