A former headmaster is facing a lengthy jail sentence after subjecting a girl to a catalogue of sexual abuse and rape.
Arthur Hutchinson began molesting the victim when she was a young girl and continued when she moved to Scotland from Thailand to pursue higher education studies.
During some of the abuse he filmed and photographed the girl and put a cloth soaked in lighter fuel on her face, leaving her apparently unconscious.
The offences took place over a period of more than nine years in Thailand and Aberdeen.
Hutchinson, 74, was a school teacher for more than 40 years and latterly was employed as the headmaster of a secondary school in West Yorkshire, before retiring in 2008.
The first offender went to Thailand to live two years later and began abusing the girl, it continued when she moved to Scotland to continue her education.
Advocate depute Richard Goddard QC told the High Court in Edinburgh: “As the complainer’s family were poor and lived in relative poverty she felt a responsibility to obtain an education to provide for herself and her family in the future.”
Hutchinson rented a flat in Aberdeen and continued to have sex with the girl.
Mr Goddard said: “She did not resist the accused’s advances because she was afraid that he would withdraw financial support from her family and stop her education.”
She revealed she had been sexually abused by Hutchison since she was a young girl when she went to see a counsellor in the city.
The prosecutor said: “She was crying uncontrollably and stated that she did not want to do it anymore but that the accused had threatened to withdraw financial assistance from her family if she did not comply.”
Keep up to date with the latest news with The Evening Express newsletter
Police were contacted and Hutchinson was arrested and a laptop and other equipment was seized from the flat he was renting.
Cybercrime experts recovered more than 1,700 indecent photographs of the victim and a further 198 videos, 129 of which showed him having sex with her.
Mr Goddard said: “On a number of occasions the accused could be seen to place a cloth over the complainer’s mouth, which appeared to have the effect of rendering or keeping her unconscious,” he said.
“On these occasions the accused had used a cloth soaked with lighter fuel or a similar liquid and had placed this on her face with the effect that she was disorientated and unaware of what was happening,” said Mr Goddard.
The advocate depute said that during an interview with police Hutchinson admitted all the sexual conduct towards the girl.
Hutchinson told police: “All I would say in my defence – not once have I in any way forced or coerced her into any form of sexual activity.”
He claimed that the girl instigated a lot of the sexual contact and that she wanted to learn about sex.
Mr Goddard said that was not accepted by the victim and was contradicted by the video recordings made by Hutchinson.
Hutchinson admitted five charges when he appeared at court via a video link to prison.
He pled guilty to sexually assaulting the girl between December 2010 and May 2013, he also admitted sexually assaulting and raping her between May 2013 and May 2015.
Hutchison further admitted sexually assaulting her and raping her between May 2013 and December last year after administering an intoxicating substance to her. He also admitted sexually assaulting and raping her over the same period when he carried out further sex acts on her.
Hutchinson also pled guilty to taking indecent photographs of the victim between September 2014 and January this year.
Defence counsel Graham Robertson told the court: “It is plainly a most serious matter.”
The judge, Lord Fairley, deferred sentence on Hutchinson for the preparation of a background report, including a risk assessment.
He remanded Hutchinson in jail and placed him on the sex offenders’ register.
This article originally appeared on the Evening Express website. For more information, read about our new combined website.