A man who embarked on a decade-long campaign of sexual abuse when he was aged just 11 is facing a lengthy prison sentence.
One of Colin MacDonald’s victims was aged just nine when he targeted her.
The 45-year-old was a young schoolboy when he started preying on his first victim, who was aged only 10, in Lochaber.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard he raped the girl and then continued to abuse her over a six-year period at locations in Fort William and Inverness.
He also sexually assaulted a second girl in the early 1980s. She was aged just nine when the depraved abuse started.
Between the late 1980s and early 1990s, MacDonald repeatedly abused a third girl at an address in the Oban area.
He was finally caught after his victims plucked up enough courage to contact police about their horrific ordeals.
MacDonald, of 88 Potterhill Gardens, Perth, was found guilty by a jury of rape and sexual assault.
He had denied the charges, claiming that his victims, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were guilty of conspiring against him.
He said he was innocent and his victims had made up stories about him.
But jurors rejected his claims and returned guilty verdicts.
Yesterday, advocate depute John Scullion, prosecuting, told the court MacDonald had one previous conviction for assault. He was given a £50 fine for the crime in 1994.
MacDonald’s counsel, advocate Ronnie Renucci, told the court that since his client had never served time in prison, the court should obtain reports about his character and background.
Judge Lord Jones agreed and deferred sentence on the rapist until October 6 at the High Court in Edinburgh.
MacDonald was placed on the sex offenders register and remanded in custody.
MacDonald started sexually assaulting his first victim at locations in Fort William and Inverness between May 1981 and January 1987.
He raped the girl at an address in Fort William on an occasion between January 1983 and January 1987.
The court also heard that on an occasion between May 1981 and June 1983, MacDonald abused a second girl at a location in Fort William.
The Oban abuse happened on various occasions between August 1988 and August 1991.
The victim was aged just 13 when the abuse began.