A Highland man was jailed for five years yesterday for subjecting young girl to “appalling” sexual abuse over a decade.
Ian Highton, 54, was caught by police after the brave girl and a family member recorded conversations the victim had with him last year.
In it, he told the girl that he “loved her” and that she was “like a drug” to him.
He also described her as “enchanting” and “beguiling”.
Yesterday at Inverness Sheriff Court, Highton stood with his head bowed as Sheriff Margaret Neilson jailed him for five years.
She said it would have been for seven-and-a-half years had he not pleaded guilty at an early opportunity.
However the Sheriff expressed her astonishment that in a background report on the first offender, Highton showed no remorse.
“Instead you seek to blame the girl and her family. This was a lengthy course of criminal conduct against a child for a period of over 10 years,” she said.
“These are appalling offences and the background report makes extremely depressing reading. It is one of the most depressing things I have read in my life.”
Highton, of Church Road in Kyle of Lochalsh, told his lawyer, David Pattison, that he did not wish a plea of mitigation.
“He will accept his punishment. But there is a lot of work to do with Mr Highton,” he said.
Highton was also placed on the sex offender’s register for an indefinite period.
He had admitted a total of 10 charges, including seven sex offences against the same girl between June 2006 and June 2016.
He also pleaded guilty to having indecent images of children and showing them to the youngster.
An assault on the girl involved Highton trying to strangle the girl and then spanking her bottom.
The court was told that Highton befriended a family in Wester Ross and targeted the girl.
Fiscal depute Roderick Urquhart told the sheriff: “He told her this was normal because he wanted her to share his interests. He also bought her lingerie, whips, handcuffs and a sex toy when she was only 12.”
The court heard the girl and her family moved away from the area but the girl remained in contact with him.
“She finally confided in a family member and her boyfriend that he had been abusing her.,” Mr Urquhart said.
The prosecutor added that the police became involved after the conversations were recorded and then handed over to officers.