Paedophile who hid behind a mask of respectability jailed

COURT: Children in man’s care were sexually abused and assaulted

A “Jekyll and Hyde” character who was awarded the MBE for services to a Fife village has been jailed for battering and sexually abusing children at a notorious children’s home.

Trevor Francis, who is well known in the village of Aberdour as its former station master, hid behind a mask of respectability said police.

In 2012, he received the MBE from Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace for his contribution to the village.

But Dundee Sheriff Court heard that behind the façade of a mild-mannered “upstanding citizen” was someone who preyed on vulnerable children in his care at St Margaret’s children’s home in Elie during the mid-1970s.

Sheriff Alastair Brown jailed Francis for nine months and placed him on the sex offenders register for 10 years.

Francis took over as manager of the home in Elie in 1973.

The home was already under the shadow of paedophile David Murphy, who was jailed in 2002 for 15 years after pleading guilty to a sickening catalogue of abuse against young people in his care at St Margaret’s and at another home.

Francis, 71, was part of a new regime that should have removed the children from the threat of abuse.

But his name came up during the probe into Murphy in the late 90s.

And when a victim came forward in 2014 police were able to build a case against him.

During the trial, three girls – aged 14 to 16 at the time – told a jury that Francis would creep into their dormitory in the night and sexually assault them.

A male resident at the home told how he had once run away and got as far as Kirkcaldy where he was picked up by police and taken back.

Francis took him into a laundry room and attacked him as punishment.

Other victims told how Francis slapped them in the face and beat them with a slipper in violent rages.

Depute fiscal Eilidh Robertson said: “The accused might seem mild mannered – an upstanding citizen, a family man.

“We are dealing with an intelligent, manipulative man who can turn on and off that predatory, violent behaviour.”

Francis, of Aberdour, denied a total of nine charges on indictment. However, a jury found him guilty by majority of two offences of using lewd, indecent and libidinous practices and behaviour towards young girls and three assaults.

One further lewd and libidinous charge and three assaults were found not proven.

Trevor Francis arrives at Dundee Sheriff Court yesterday for sentencing.

Trevor Francis was the former station master at Aberdour.