The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Dundee pensioner jailed for child sex abuse
Offender preyed on three young girls from 1977 to 1983
A pensioner has been jailed for six years for sexually assaulting three young girls more than 34 years ago.
James Fearn, 70, picked on the three youngsters, who cannot be named for legal reasons, at a house in Dundee between February 1977 and January 1983.
He was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow yesterday.
His sentence has been welcomed by the NSPCC.
A charity spokesman said: “Today’s sentencing sends out a strong message once again that child abuse will not be tolerated, no matter when the offences took place.
“Fearn’s denial of his crimes forced his victims to relive in court the horrific assaults he subjected them to over many years and their courage in coming forward should be commended. We hope the sentence passed will offer some relief.”
During his trial at the High Court in Edinburgh a jury heard how Fearn picked on his first victim in February 1977 when she was just nine years old by raping her.
He then continued to have sex against her will on various occasions until January 1983.
Fearn, who worked for Dundee City Council before retiring, then repeatedly sexually assaulted his second victim between June 1977 and December 1981. She was just 11 when Fearn started abusing her.
Fearn’s third victim was just 12 when he repeatedly sexually abused her between February 1977 and November 1980.
Police finally arrested Fearn after his victims contacted them about his wrongdoing.
He was brought to court and denied the allegations.
Giving evidence, Fearn, of Arklay Terrace, Dundee, said: “I never did anything. I never touched these three girls.”
But jurors did not believe him and convicted him of rape and sexual assault charges.
The verdict came at the end of a trial in which Fearn had maintained his innocence and pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Speaking after conviction, prosecutor Peter Ferguson QC told the court that Fearn had one previous conviction for assault from 1972, which saw him jailed for 60 days.