A rapist and child abuser was jailed today for offences stretching back more than 30 years.
A woman who was a child victim of Edwin Cuschieri gave a statement to officers in 2009 reporting crimes against her.
Cuschieri, 67, was interviewed by police and released without charge with no further action taken at the time.
He went on to commit further sex offences.
Cuschieri began attacks in late 1980s
The hotel receptionist, of Helliar Way, Shapinsay, in Orkney was finally brought to trial at the High Court in Edinburgh.
He denied a string of offences during the proceedings but a jury unanimously convicted him of six charges including three of rape and two sexual assaults.
All of the offences were committed in Orkney between 1988 and 2016.
Cuschieri’s first victim was a woman who was subjected to repeated rapes at different addresses. During the assaults, between 1988 and 1994, she was pulled by the hair and subjected to derogatory remarks by her abuser.
The former diver also molested and raped a girl when she was aged eight or nine. She told the court that she was the victim of a sexual assault which haunted her for years.
Woman told court of ‘distressing’ incidents
In August 2016 he carried out an attack on another woman at a house in Kirkwall and molested her. DNA evidence linking Cuschieri to the crime was found on her bra.
The distressed victim revealed what had taken place to her mother and the police were contacted.
Between May 2014 and 2016 another woman was subjected to sexual assault by him on occasions in Kirkwall when he touched her and made sexualised remarks and comments to her.
The 50-year-old victim told the court that on one occasion he pushed her and told her that if another woman was not present he would have carried out a sex act on her.
On another visit she was left feeling uncomfortable after he touched her in a way that was inappropriate.
Cuschieri locked up
Cuschieri told the court that he had first moved to Scotland to work as a diver off Caithness but moved on to Orkney to make “a new start”.
His defence solicitor, advocate John Keenan, pointed out to him that one woman had given evidence that he started having sex with her when she was asleep, but Cuschieri responded: “I wouldn’t do that under any circumstances. It’s wrong.”
After the jury found him guilty of the charges the trial judge Lady Scott told Cuschieri: “You have heard the verdicts. This is a serious matter.”
She deferred sentence until next month for the preparation of a background report. Cuschieri, who was on bail, was remanded in custody.
He was placed on the sex offenders’ register and details of his convictions will be sent to Scottish Ministers under the protection of vulnerable groups legislation.