He played the nice guy but in private he was more like Freddy Krueger
Perverted ex-soldier convicted after 15-year reign of terror against women and children
A VICTIM of a serial violent abuser has dubbed his attacker Freddy Krueger – after the infamous horror movie character.
Evil Peter Johnson’s trial heard he returned to haunt the boy in his dreams, just like the Nightmare on Elm Street killer.
Former soldier Johnson was accused of 35 sexual and violent crimes against women and children over a 15-year period.
The 47-year-old, from Markinch, Fife, has been convicted of 20 offences. He will be sentenced later this month.
Johnson claimed to be a family man but was terrorising children as young as eight in the middle of the night.
The controlling brute subjected three vulnerable women to an appalling reign of terror, including throwing one of them, who was pregnant, so violently down stairs that she gave birth prematurely. Her baby later died.
One of his child victims was sexually assaulted and forced to strip naked and stand in the cold beside an open window while he sat and watched her.
On another occasion, he sexually assaulted an eight-year-old girl who woke in the middle of the night to find him on top of her.
A male child victim, now aged 25, told Livingston High Court Johnson knew his mother and repeatedly seized opportunities during his childhood when she was absent.
He said: “When my mum went to go to the shops, I was screaming and crying to go with her. If I was left, something would happen to me.
“He was evil, horrible. He plays the nice man but behind closed doors the man’s a monster.
“It’s just memory after memory of violence. I still get night terrors.”
Referring to a property where he suffered at Johnson’s hands, the victim added: “It should be called Elm Street, because he’s like Krueger.”
Another child victim, who is now aged 36, said she was repeatedly groped and ogled by Johnson.
She told the court he would kick her in the head, order her out of bed and open all the windows in her room. She was then ordered to strip and not move while he sat on a chair watching her.
She told the jury Johnson once tried to rape her but she struggled so violently he didn’t succeed.
The former infantry soldier with the Black Watch denied a catalogue of 35 charges, including rape, sexual assault, lewd, libidinous and indecent behaviour to children and assault to severe injury.
The allegations spanned a period from 1994 to 2009, covering locations including Rosyth Barracks and addresses in Kirkcaldy and Dunfermline.
Prosecutor Jane Farquharson told the jury Johnson had repeatedly targeted “highly vulnerable women living in the chaos of grief or drug addictions” and took a “perverted sexual interest” in children.
Judge Lord Kinclaven placed Johnson on the sex offenders’ register and remanded him in custody.
Johnson’s partner for the last 10 years, Alexandra Watson Smith, who gave evidence in his defence, ran screaming from court as he was led to the cells.
He was evil. It’s just memory after memory of violence. I still get night terrors
CHILD VICTIM