Pensioner convicted of ‘sustained abuse’ of young girls dies in jail

A convicted Fife rapist has died in custody.

David Ferguson was jailed for 10 years last August for the “utterly appalling” abuse of two victims he subjected to repeated rape ordeals.

The 67-year-old had preyed on one victim when she was a teenager and subjected the other to sex assaults as a child.

He was also serving another 10-year jail sentence imposed on him in 2015 for similar offences.

The Scottish Prison Service confirmed through a death in custody notice on its website that Ferguson died on Saturday.

The notice read: “David Ferguson, 67, a prisoner from HMP Edinburgh has died on 04 June 2022.

“He was sentenced at Aberdeen High Court in 2015.

“Police Scotland have been advised and the matter reported to the procurator fiscal.

“A fatal accident inquiry will be held in due course.”

Fatal accident inquiries are held after any death in custody.

Following Ferguson’s most recent conviction at the High Court in Edinburgh, a judge told the rapist both his victims had been subjected to “sustained abuse”.

Lord Richardson said it was clear from victim impact statements prepared by them that Ferguson’s crimes had “a profound impact”.

During the trial Ferguson had denied a string of charges but was found guilty of four offences – three of rape and one of attempted murder – committed between October 1988 and August 2010 in Fife.

The first rape occurred at a house in Ballingry when he attacked a victim who was asleep.

He began raping her and continued the sex assault when she woke up. He subsequently attacked and molested the woman again at a property in Cowdenbeath.

Ferguson attacked his second victim when she was aged six or seven at a house in Cowdenbeath, when he tried to rape the child.

He later went on to subject her to rape attacks committed in Cowdenbeath and Crossgates.

One victim told the court that he had made her feel “scared” as a child.

In 2014, Ferguson was convicted of raping two under-age girls young enough to be his granddaughters.

A jury at the High Court in Livingston found him guilty of abusing the children for almost 12 years.

The then-60-year-old took advantage of the schoolgirls when they visited to borrow videos, the court heard.

LOCKED UP: David Ferguson, 67, had been serving a jail sentence at HMP Edinburgh.