Daughter: I will help keep my father, the monster, in prison
The daughter of one of Scotland’s most dangerous sex attackers has vowed to help keep him behind bars. John Bermingham is now being investigated by the police after The Sunday Post revealed his daughter’s claims that she had been abused as a child. The woman, who we named Louise to protect her identity, bravely spoke of how she had been sexually abused by her father from the age of five. Louise has now reported the allegations to the police in the hope her testimony may help to keep him locked up after insisting her father would not stop attacking women and girls if he was free. Predator Bermingham, 53, who is banned from any contact with females, was jailed last month for speaking to a woman walking her dog. When caught, he was carrying disguises to elude police surveillance teams. The serial offender was previously jailed for 12 years after trying to rape an 11-year-old and an 18-year-old on the same day. After his release, he was charged with trying to abduct two little girls but later cleared by jury. Louise said: “I didn’t think I would have been able to report what I went through, but after speaking to The Sunday Post it made me think again. “I thought it was too long ago, and I had spoken to authorities in the past but nothing ever happened. “Now I think is a different time. People are being held to account much more for what they’ve done in their past – like the #MeToo movement and the child abuse inquiries happening all over the world. “I just feel that I have to stop him, or at least try to stop him, from harming anyone else. I know that the safest place for everyone is if he is locked up and he’s in prison. “He enjoys attacking people, he gets a kick out of it and it can’t continue. “If someone is capable of trying to rape a child, and attacking his own children, then who is safe if he is out in public? “I really hope that the police can do something this time to keep him locked away.” In her first interview, Louise told of how she was abused by Bermingham when she was five years old and the family were living in Manchester. After that, the sexual assaults became more frequent – and the family moved house numerous times to avoid police or social services. Louise said: “Things were so bad as a child and I don’t want anyone else to have their childhood ruined because of him.” One of his previous victims also spoke to The Sunday Post and told of how she had to get counselling and was afraid to leave her home for a long time after she was attacked behind the Cameron Toll Shopping Centre in Edinburgh. Bermingham dragged the woman in to a field nearby and threatened to stab her if she kept shouting. Police Scotland said: “An investigation into a report of non-recent abuse is currently ongoing and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.”