Aberdeen man admits historic physical assaults on children

A man has admitted historic physical assaults on four young children that saw one girl strike her head on rocks and placed in a cupboard.

Colin Dick, 56, pleaded guilty on the day of trial to a litany of offences that included assaults over the course of nearly 20 years at addresses across Aberdeen and at a caravan park near Edinburgh.

Some of the children, two of whom were assaulted when they were as young as four and five, were left with injuries to their bodies and permanent disfigurement, Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard.

He will appear for sentence next month.

Guilty pleas

One charge states that Dick began assaulting one girl when she was as young as four until she was 16 by seizing her by the head and body and retraining her pining her down and sitting on top of her, which caused her breathing to become restricted.

It stated that he also struck her to the body, pulled her hair and caused her to fall to the ground and strike her head on rocks.

Dick also admitted forcing the child into a cupboard and closing a door, causing the door to strike her head, and force her to the floor and repeatedly striking her to the head all to her injury and permanent disfigurement.

He also admitted one count of assault on a second child between 2009 and 2020 where he seized her by the neck and pulled her from a chair, where he dragged her up a set of stairs, causing her to strike her head on a wall to her injury.

Sentence deferred

These incidents occurred when the child was as young as five.

Dick also admitted assaulting a third girl, also from the age of five, by restraining her to the body and sitting on top of her.

An assault charge involving a fourth child, who was 12 at the time, saw Dick push the child to the body, pull her off a bed and force her to the ground where he put his hand over her mouth.

The case was deferred for reports and Dick, of Roseberry Street, Aberdeen, will reappear for sentence on December 19 this year.

An earlier version of this story stated that Colin Dick pleaded guilty to four additional charges – assault on a woman, threatening and abusive behaviour, perverting the course of justice and breaching a court order. 

We are happy to clarify that not guilty pleas were accepted to those charges and we have removed reference to them from our story.

For all the latest court cases in Aberdeen as well as crime and breaking incidents, join our Facebook group.