Sex offender said abuse would ‘fade away’

A Fife man who sexually assaulted a three-year-old girl said he thought it would have no lasting impact on her because she was so young.

Richard Morgan told social workers the girl’s memory of the repeated abuse would “fade away”.

That attitude was blasted as “nothing short of an obscenity” by a sheriff.

Morgan, 30, of Dunimarle Street, High Valleyfield, was yesterday jailed for three years and four months at Dunfermline Sheriff Court.

Morgan previously admitted he sexually assaulted the child at an address in Fife on various occasions between January 1 2016 and May 7 last year.

Depute fiscal Susan Lumsden previously told the court concerns were raised after comments were made by the girl.

Forensic tests found Morgan’s semen on the child’s underwear. He made no reply when cautioned and charged.

Defence advocate Grant Markie said: “The social work report comments on the remorse and regret expressed by Mr Morgan for his conduct.

“The picture emerging from the report appears to be of a 30-year-old man who lived a fairly isolated existence. He had a very limited social circle.”

Sheriff Charles MacNair told Morgan: “You completely abused the trust put in you. You told social work that you thought that at her age it would fade away. That was a quite horrific notion that you thought at her age it would not have a lasting impact.”

The sheriff jailed Morgan for 40 months.

He also imposed a 10-year sexual offences prevention order because Morgan posed a “real risk” of reoffending.

Morgan has also been placed on the sex offenders register for an indefinite period.