A man who raped a young girl was caught after she told nursery staff she had been abused.
Paul Moffat wept in the dock yesterday as he was convicted of raping and sexually abusing the girl when she was just four.
The abuse took place on various occasions between January 2014 and April 2015 at an address in Kinloss.
Moffat, of Hopeman, denied the charge and insisted the girl was lying – but was yesterday put on the sex offenders register after a jury at the High Court in Glasgow found him guilty.
The jury heard that when experts looked through the 30-year-old’s computer and phone, they found he had been searching for “pre-teen sex” and “pre-teen underwear models”.
But Moffat denied he had made the searches and claimed anyone could have accessed his phone or computer because they had no passwords on them.
The court heard the offence came to light after the girl, who can not be named for legal reasons, told staff at her nursery that Moffat had abused her.
Advocate depute Sheena Fraser, prosecuting, said: “The police were called in and the girl then revealed more information to her mother about what Moffat had done.”
The young girl did not have to give evidence during this week’s trial, but the jury was shown a video of her interview by police and social workers.
They were then shown another recorded video of her being questioned by defence advocate David Moggach.
Moffat was remanded in custody pending background reports, and will be sentenced next month. He was also immediately put on the sex offenders register.
Judge Lord Matthews told him: “The jury has convicted you of a very serious offence.
“It was a relatively short case, but a particularly unpleasant one.”