An Inverness man’s dark secret has finally been uncovered more than two decades after he repeatedly raped a child.
Shaun Legge Gray, 44, was locked up after his victim gave evidence against him during a trial at the High Court in Stirling.
Gray, of Carnac Crescent in Inverness, was between 15 and 20 years old when he targeted the child, who was aged between 10 and 14 at the time.
He had denied two charges of rape and two of using lewd, indecent and libidinous practices and behaviour at three addresses in Keith between various dates in March 1996 and February 2001.
However, a jury found Gray guilty and he was jailed for eight years. He has also been banned from contacting his victim for 15 years.
The rape survivor, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she was “relieved” that her case had finally gone to trial, adding: “It felt good to know that people believed me.”
Incriminating Facebook messages were sent by Gray to his victim
The 38-year-old mum-of-one said: “I never thought I would feel a sense of justice.
“I’m truly grateful that most of the jury believed me and saw through Shaun’s lies. I hate him for what he’s done.”
She revealed that she had first reported Gray, a father-of-four, to Grampian Police in 2001.
“No further action was taken,” she said. “He wasn’t even interviewed. For almost two decades, I haven’t felt listened to by anyone in authority.”
However, after repeated attempts to secure justice, the woman approached Police Scotland again in 2022 and provided another statement.
She said: “Based on that statement, he was finally questioned by the police, who then sought evidence to back up my claims. They were able to gain enough evidence to take it to court.”
Among the evidence were Facebook messages between the pair.
“He had contacted me via Facebook,” the woman explained. “Just general chit-chat, asking me how I was. I was so wound up that I asked him: ‘Why did you do that to me?’
“He then admitted that he had done it and said he was sorry.”
‘If Shaun was truly sorry he would have pled guilty’
But, after initially owning up to his crimes, Gray then forced the woman through the ordeal of a courtroom showdown by denying the allegations.
“If Shaun was truly sorry for his actions, he would have pled guilty and shown some remorse,” she said. “Instead, he wasted so much public money and time by trying to lie to jurors.
“I had to give evidence against him via video link at Elgin Sheriff Court before he was finally found guilty. It felt good to know that people believed me.”
She described the process of standing up to the “creepy predator” as “nerve-wracking” and “re-traumatising”. She says every day she felt anxious and physically sick.
And she also spoke of the toll on her mental health, adding: “As a rape survivor, I try to live a normal life each day despite the traumatic baggage I carry from the ordeal I suffered.
“If I had been murdered, it would have been easier for me, because I wouldn’t have to continue living with so much pain. Most of the time I feel like I’d rather be dead.
“I have self-esteem issues, but I’m due to get married in a couple of months. I have found happiness in a happy relationship.
“It’s taken a long time to get to the stage of moving on, but I still have to cope with anxiety every day.”
Woman says Gray was the fourth sex offender to victimise her as a child
Gray’s prosecution was the fourth case in which the woman was a victim of a sex crime.
During a previous trial in April 2021, the High Court in Aberdeen heard that she was among five girls under the age of 12 who were raped and sexually abused by the predatory north-east paedophile Albert Bremner.
He’d preyed on them at addresses in Banff and Keith between 1993 and 2005 – often bribing them with sweets and taking pictures of them.
It was also revealed that Bremner had previous convictions, including a five-year sentence in 2009 after pictures of two girls were found at his home in Keith.
Bremner, who was already subject to an order for lifelong restriction for previous sex abuse offences, was locked up for a further 17 years.
Before his sentencing, she told the judge in her heart-breaking victim impact statement: “This cycle of abuse only stopped when I went into care. I dread to think what would have happened if I didn’t go into care.”
Read more:
- North-east victim of sex predator brands him ‘a monster’ following guilty verdict
- Moray man on trial accused of rape and historical sexual abuse of girls
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