A Moray child molester who subjected youngsters to a 14-year catalogue of cruel and degrading treatment has been jailed.
Thomas Dow, 40, preyed on two girls and a boy as he subjected them to repeated sexual abuse and violence.
Dow, from Lhanbryde, targeted the children at addresses in Inverkeithing and Rosyth and during car trips when he was supposed to be caring for them.
One victim told the High Court in Edinburgh she did not like it when Dow was looking after her “because he was abusive”.
She said: “He would hit me, be verbally abusive to me and be sexually abusive.”
She told the court: “Sometimes he would be quite a happy drunk. Sometimes he would be quite an angry drunk.”
“I was scared he would have another drink and become angry.”
Abused three children
Dow, of Park Road, Lhanbryde, had denied a series of charges and claimed the victims of his abuse were liars.
He was found guilty of committing 13 offences between 2003 and 2017, including rape, assault, sexual assault and indecent conduct.
He began abusing one girl when she was aged seven and subjected her to repeated assaults during which she was struck, punched and kicked on the head and body.
She was also pushed, hit with a brush and grabbed by the head and hair.
Dow also repeatedly sexually molested the child and raped her.
He began abusing a second girl when she was aged three.
She was threatened with violence, kicked, pushed, punched and hit with a remote control.
He also carried out repeated sex acts on the child and went on to rape her.
Dow also subjected a boy to physical violence and sexual abuse.
The boy was threatened, pushed, punched and kicked and indecently assaulted.
Remanded pending sentencing
The burly former deliveryman told the court his victims were lying in their evidence and maintained he was not a bully.
Following the jury convicting him, defence counsel Michael Anderson KC said: “I recognise that it is inevitable that he will be sentenced to a substantial period of imprisonment.”
He said a background report would be required on Dow before sentencing him and moved that his bail be continued.
The trial judge, John Morris KC, remanded Dow in custody ahead of sentencing next month and said: “I don’t think bail is appropriate given the jury’s verdict.”
He was put on the sex offenders register.