DAVID FERGUSON OF COWDENBEATH DIES BEHIND BARS AT HMP EDINBURGH AFTER YEARS OF ABUSE

In June 2022, a tragic and disturbing case concluded with the death of David Ferguson, a convicted sex offender, while serving his sentence at HMP Edinburgh. Ferguson, aged 67 and formerly residing in Cowdenbeath, was found dead within the prison walls on Saturday, June 4. His death marks the end of a long and harrowing criminal history involving the sexual abuse of multiple victims over several decades.

Ferguson was initially sentenced to a decade behind bars in 2015 after being convicted at Aberdeen Sheriff Court for a series of sexual offenses committed against two young girls. His crimes spanned nearly 12 years, during which he exploited the innocence of children who visited his home in Cowdenbeath and other locations in Fife. The court heard that Ferguson’s abuse began when the victims were as young as six or seven years old, with one victim being a teenager at the time of her assault.

In August 2021, Ferguson received a further 10-year sentence at HMP Edinburgh after a high-profile trial at Edinburgh High Court. The court found him guilty of three serious sexual offenses, including rape and attempted murder, committed between October 1988 and August 2010 in Fife. The details of his crimes revealed a pattern of predatory behavior, with one of his earliest known offenses occurring at a residence in Ballingry, where he attacked a sleeping victim. He later assaulted and molested her again at a property in Cowdenbeath.

The second victim, who was only six or seven years old when the abuse started, endured a prolonged period of exploitation. The court heard that Ferguson’s sexual misconduct included repeated acts of vaginal rape, as well as more severe acts such as penetration of her mouth and anus with his penis. The trial uncovered the extent of his depravity, with the judge describing his actions as utterly appalling and profoundly damaging to the victims.

During the sentencing, Lord Richardson emphasized the severity of Ferguson’s crimes, noting that both victims had provided impact statements illustrating the lasting trauma inflicted upon them. The judge highlighted that Ferguson’s criminal record included five previous convictions for sexual offenses dating back to 1973, including a guilty plea in 1985 related to the abuse of one of the present victims. His history of offending underscored the dangerous pattern of behavior that persisted over decades.

Ferguson’s legal history also revealed that he was sentenced in January 2015 to 10 years in prison for raping two underage girls, who were young enough to be his granddaughters. The abuse involved the girls, who visited Ferguson’s home in Cowdenbeath to borrow videos, over a period of nearly 12 years. The jury found him guilty of two rapes, two indecent assaults, and lewd practices involving girls under 16, with one victim recounting how he groped her when she was just seven years old. The second victim, now 20, described how Ferguson assaulted her on her 15th birthday, leading her to report the abuse to police years later.

Throughout the trial, Ferguson maintained his innocence, denying all charges, although the evidence presented was overwhelming. The prosecution relied on the Moorov doctrine, which allows victims of similar crimes to corroborate each other’s testimonies, to secure his conviction. The court also considered Ferguson’s prior convictions, which included offenses from 1973 to 2016, demonstrating a long-standing pattern of sexual misconduct.

As Ferguson’s life came to an end behind bars, the justice system reflected on the gravity of his crimes. His death at HMP Edinburgh closes a dark chapter marked by decades of abuse and suffering inflicted upon vulnerable victims. The court’s sentencing and subsequent death serve as stark reminders of the importance of safeguarding children and holding offenders accountable for their heinous actions.