February 2011 Aberdeenshire child sex offender jailed for 11 years A farmer was jailed for 11 years for sexually abusing three little girls after a judge condemned his crimes as “selfish, cruel and damaging”. Derek Adam, 41, molested his first victim over a decade and subjected the other children to years of abuse. Lord Brodie told Adam at the High Court in Edinburgh: “These were offences committed against three young, and indeed, little girls.” “In a real sense you betrayed these girls. Your behaviour was, in my view, selfish, cruel and from the terms of the narrative and two victim impact statements, damaging,” said the judge. Lord Brodie added that he accepted that Adam, a first offender, was “thoroughly and deeply ashamed” of his conduct. The judge ordered that he should also be kept under supervision for a further four years. Adam, of The Gammons, Rothienorman, in Aberdeenshire, earlier admitted three offences of indecent behaviour towards the girls in Aberdeenshire. The court heard that his first victim’s earliest memories of him abusing her during visits was when she was two or three years old. It continued over a ten-year period up until March 2007. The court heard that the victim has tried to block the abuse from her mind but has been badly affected by what happened. She does not like sleeping or going out in the dark. Adam began molesting his second victim when she was aged nine in 2000 and went on to perform oral sex acts with the child. The victim suffered flashbacks and nightmares related to the abuse and her family doctor referred her to a specialist counsellor for survivors of childhood abuse. Adam began preying on the third girl when she was aged seven in 2001. She was later seen by a psychologist and decided to disclose to her what had happened to her as a child and the police were contacted. The victim does not like leaving the house or socialising. Defence counsel Frances McMenamin QC said Adam genuinely appeared to be “deeply remorseful” for he had done. “He is clearly someone who is going to need help,” she said, adding that he was willing to take part in any programmes made available to him. “He is somebody who is capable of having a worthwhile job again in the future. He is not a lost cause,” said the defence counsel.