December 2004 OAP jailed for child sex abuse A PENSIONER was jailed for seven years yesterday for abusing young girls – after he revealed his crimes at sex offenders’ project. A judge rejected a plea to spare Douglas Hardie, 70, a prison sentence because of his age and problems with his health, including prostate cancer. Hardie, of Arbroath, had revealed he had sex with a 12-year-old girl at a village in Angus in the 1970s. The abuse continued for three years. He also admitted an indecency offence towards an 11-year-old girl at his home in Arbroath in 2001, after luring her away from a park. A background report said he viewed young girls as ‘sexual objects’ and posed a high risk of re-offending.