A child rapist who carried out abuse on girls dating back to the 1970s has been jailed for 15 years, with the judge saying that a victim’s description of him as a “monster” was “hard to disagree with”.
James Pollard was previously found guilty of abusing five young victims at various locations in the north of Scotland between 1979 and 2022.
Pollard, 71, had denied all of the offences during a seven-day trial at the High Court in Inverness, but, on the second day of their deliberations, the jury returned guilty verdicts on all charges.
The children and young girls were all under the age of 16 when the abuse began – with the youngest being just two years old.
He was convicted of indecently assaulting and sexually abusing the first victim.
Pollard, from Thurso, indecently assaulted a second child, communicated indecently with a third and sexually assaulted a fourth.
A fifth young victim was physically assaulted and raped.
The crimes were all committed in the north of Scotland.
‘A pattern of the most horrific sexual abuse’
Defence advocate Lorenzo Alonzi told the court that his client struggles with certain health difficulties.
“My client’s position in relation to the various offences has not changed,” Mr Alonzi said.
“And these offences are over a number of years and therefore he is a man of few previous convictions.
“Nonetheless, even though he is a man with no significant record, I would ask that the court take account of Mr Pollard’s age.”
Sentence, Judge William Summers described Pollard’s offences as “deeply troubling” and his victims as young women who had the “profound misfortune to come into his orbit”.
He added: “These offences are illustrative of a pattern of the most horrific sexual abuse perpetrated on one victim from when she was around three years old.
“You shamelessly and cynically abuse the position of trust you held to perpetrate depraved sexual abuse.
“Your sexual abuse was sustained and persistent and included the most serious sexual assaults.”
‘One of the victims described you as a monster’
The judge described other incidents, including one in which Pollard raped a child while only four years old, as having had “devastating consequences” on their victims.
Judge Summers said Pollard’s conviction for these offences was “a testament to the courage and strength of those women who were prepared to give evidence to ensure that justice was done”.
“In your evidence, one of the victims described you as a monster. That is a strong word. But having listened to her evidence and the evidence of the other witnesses, it was hard to disagree with that assessment.
“You are a predatory sexual offender who took advantage of girls and young women to satisfy your own deviant sexual ends.
“In my assessment, you are likely to remain a risk to women and young girls for the remainder of your life.”
Judge Summers sentenced Pollard, of Shore Street, Thurso, Caithness, to 15 years in prison and placed the pensioner on the sex offenders register for life.
