An Aberdeen man who “normalised” the sexual abuse of a young girl in addresses across Buchan has been found guilty following a four-day trial.
Keith Grant, who was standing trial at Peterhead Sheriff Court, started his campaign of sickening attacks when the youngster was just seven years old.
The 44-year-old preyed on her between 2014 and 2017.
A second charge against Grant of sexually assaulting another pre-teen girl was found to be not proven.
‘It happened enough for me to think it was normal’
The girl, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, gave her evidence against Grant, who the jury had been told was from the Aberdeen area, by video link.
She told the jury Grant’s abuse happened with such frequency that it became “normal”.
As she fought tears, she said: “I would just hear the door open. And then I would know. He never, ever said a word.”
As the years went on, Grant would start taking her into a garage where the attacks would continue.
Asked by fiscal depute Jennifer Pritchard if she could tell the jury how many times in total she was attacked, the girl said: “I can’t give you an exact number, but I know it happened enough for me to think it was normal.
“I didn’t know it was something I had to tell [my mum]. I was really young, and also very scared.”
She would eventually raise the alarm on Grant when she confided to a school friend, who urged her to tell a teacher in 2018.
Victim still living with the effects
In her evidence, the girl went on to say she was still struggling with the effects of Grant’s abuse.
Asked how she felt about what happened, she replied: “Angry at myself.”
“I spent so long trying to forget all of this,” she added.
“I can’t sleep sometimes, I get nightmares.”
Grant, who appeared on remand from HMP Grampian, had denied the attacks ever happened.
He replied “no” to all suggestions that he committed his crimes when asked by his defence solicitor, Eilish Lindsay.
He described the allegations as “sickening” and “wrong”.
He was the only defence witness in the case.
Guilty by majority
On Thursday morning, the jury at Peterhead went out to reach their decision.
They had been urged to convict by Ms Pritchard the previous day.
“His evidence was unreliable, uncredible, and should not cause you any doubts,” she said.
It would take the jury less than two hours to return their verdict of guilty by majority.
Upon that verdict, Sheriff Phillip Mann made Grant subject to the sexual offences notification requirements and held him in remand for the preparation of background reports.
He will return to court next month to be sentenced.