Man jailed for lengthy campaign of abuse

A child abuser was yesterday jailed for four-and-a-half years after one of his victims came forward on Facebook after his initial trial had started.

Stewart King subjected a young woman to horrific physical abuse before going on to sexually assault three young girls.

He originally went on trial last year facing four charges, but that trial had to be scrapped after another victim of his sexual abuse came forward on the social networking site.

That prompted prosecutors to approach her and resulted in a charge being added to the indictment against him.

A trial at Dundee Sheriff Court heard how King’s first victim had been attacked on various occasions between June 1 2005 and December 31 2006, when she was aged 18 and 19.

A jury found King guilty of kissing and sucking her face, kissing her neck, handling her breasts, penetrating her with his fingers, exposing himself to her and attempting to have her carry out sex acts on him.

The court also heard that between July 2010 and March 2014 King repeatedly violently attacked three children.

The first, who was 12 when the abuse started was punched, kicked and had objects thrown at her.

The second, who was 11, was punched and kicked on the head, body and legs and told how when she was 14 she was sexually assaulted on various occasions

The third victim, who was seven when the abuse started, was grabbed, pushed against a wall, punched on the head and body and kicked on the legs.

Sheriff Lorna Drummond jailed King for four-and-a-half years and placed him on the sex offenders register for life

His victims, sitting immediately behind the dock, wept and called out “beast” as he was led away.

Stewart King.