ABERDEEN FATHER CONVICTED OF REPEATEDLY RAPING FOUR-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER
A father has been found guilty of multiple charges of sexual assault and abuse against his daughter, who is now 33.The victim testified that her father, Duncan Houston, had raped her as a four-year-old, which she described as her first childhood memory.
The High Court in Aberdeen delivered a unanimous verdict after less than an hour of deliberation, convicting Houston of raping his daughter Nikki on various occasions between 1994 and 2002.
The jury also convicted him of lewd and indecent practices, including kissing her on the mouth, inducing her to touch his private parts, and touching her private areas.
Houston, a 59-year-old former soldier, had previously served an eight-year sentence for a similar offence committed in 2000.Upon the verdict, Judge Lady Drummond highlighted the seriousness of the offences and reminded Houston of his prior convictions.
She ordered that he be placed on the sex offenders register, declined bail, and remanded him in custody before sentencing next month in Edinburgh.
During the trial, the victim described smelling cigarettes, stale lager, and Old Spice on her father at the time of the abuse.
She also recounted another incident when they watched the film Buffy the Vampire Slayer, during which he attacked her again, making her feel that it was normal behavior due to the length of the abuse.
The victim expressed relief and said that the jury’s decision provided her with closure and justice, emphasizing that this verdict also sends a message to other victims of historic sexual abuse.
Houston’s daughter publicly spoke about her suffering, affirming that the verdict was important not only for her but for other victims.
