Top lawyer raped me when I was 10 man tells court

A MAN told a jury yesterday that he was raped as a ten-year-old by a Scots advocate at his home.

The 45-year-old claimed he was attacked by John Watt, 72, on a bed at the lawyer’s former home in Leith, Edinburgh, in 1987.

The witness stated that Watt was looking after him for his parents, who were friends. The man claimed he did not tell anyone until years later as he believed that it was his fault.

Watt is on trial at the High Court in Glasgow charged with using lewd, indecent and libidinous practices towards the man.

He is further accused of raping a girl aged seven to 11 between September 1973 and August 1978 at an unknown address in Edinburgh.

Watt, of Glasgow, faces further charges of lewd, libidinous practices and indecent assaults against other children.

He has lodged a special defence of incrimination for the rape charge and pointed blame at deceased lawyer Richard Watt. He denies the five charges.

The witness told the court that Watt was asked to watch him and his sister as his parents went on a business trip.

Prosecutor Kath Harper asked what caused him concern. He replied: ‘I was raped by John Watt.’

Miss Harper asked: ‘What do you recall?’ The witness replied: ‘I remember being in bed and I remember him coming in the room and I remember him telling me to turn over.’

Miss Harper asked how long he thought the alleged incident lasted.

The witness replied: ‘Honestly, I don’t know, I’ve played it over in my mind 100,000 times in my life and I know it was something I didn’t want, it was sore.’

The witness said he told his parents ‘many years’ later about what happened.

He added: ‘It felt wrong and I felt guilty and thought it was my fault. I didn’t think about telling them.’

The man told the jury that his family moved to South Africa later that year and he did not see Watt again.

He claimed that he spoke to the police in December 2016 when he got a call from an officer asking if he knew Watt.

Donald Findlay, QC, defending, asked the man why he did not shout to his sister. He replied: ‘Maybe I did, I don’t know.’ Mr Findlay said: ‘You have no recollection of seeking some form of comfort from your sister, your gran, or saying anything to John Watt at the time?’ The witness answered: ‘No.’

Jurors earlier heard a police statement from the father of a woman who claimed she was groped by Watt as a child. The now deceased man stated he had reported Watt to then senior lawyer Andrew Hardie who later became Lord Hardie, head of the Faculty of Advocates.

The trial continues.

‘Something I didn’t want’