MAN HANDED EXTENDED SIX-YEAR SENTENCE AND LIFE ON REGISTER FOR SEX ATTACKS OVER 35 YEARS
A man responsible for a disturbing series of sexual assaults on both children and adults over a span of 35 years has received a six-year extended prison sentence.David Corcoran was convicted of sexually abusing a six-year-old boy by touching his genitals and forcing the boy to watch him perform a solo sexual act at a residence in Edinburgh during the period from February 1987 to September 1988.
The 54-year-old also engaged in sexual misconduct with a teenage boy, performing oral sex and showing him pornographic films at a home in the capital city in 2008.
During these assaults, Corcoran repeatedly tried to persuade the young victim to anally penetrate him.
Additionally, he assaulted a woman in the Wester Hailes area of Edinburgh in 2016, dragging and pinning her to the ground with the intent of raping her.
A sheriff described Corcoran’s attacks as “sustained and repeated,” noting they inflicted significant suffering and distress upon the victims.
Despite denying the allegations, Corcoran from Carmuir, South Lanarkshire, was found guilty on 11 counts of sexual and physical abuse following a four-day jury trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last month.
On the day of sentencing, Wednesday, May 29, he was sentenced to four years in prison and will be subject to supervised release for an additional two years afterward.
He was also placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely and issued non-harassment orders preventing contact with four of his victims for 15 years.
Sheriff Kevin McCarron remarked that the offences were planned and deliberate, emphasizing the gravity of some acts.
He stated, “The sexual abuse of the victims was planned and deliberate.
The extent of the harm caused was enormous, especially as some victims were children under your care.
This was a breach of a high degree of trust.” The sheriff further commented that Corcoran showed no remorse and that victims demonstrated remarkable resilience in providing evidence against him.
The jury’s testimony detailed how Corcoran carried out sexual and physical assaults on victims, both children and adults, over a 35-year period up to 2022.
He was also convicted of assaulting four men by embracing and touching their buttocks at various addresses in Dalry, Edinburgh, and East Calder between 2016 and 2022.
Additionally, Corcoran was found to have repeatedly assaulted two women, striking their heads at homes in Edinburgh at different times between January 1995 and September 2013.
