DUNCAN MCROBERTS: GLASGOW BABYSITTER AND SEX OFFENDER SENTENCED FOR ABUSE IN DRUMCHAPEL

In a highly emotional and disturbing case that has shocked the community of Drumchapel in Glasgow, Duncan McRoberts was sentenced to seven years in prison yesterday for a series of heinous sexual offenses committed against young children over an eight-year period. The courtroom was filled with anger and outrage as parents and relatives of the victims expressed their fury, shouting abuse and curses at McRoberts as he was taken into custody.

McRoberts, a man who was once considered a trusted figure within the local community, had gained the trust of many families in the vicinity of his residence on Carolside Avenue. He was known to look after children, often babysitting for families in the area. However, beneath this facade of friendliness and helpfulness, he carried out a prolonged reign of terror that spanned from 1986 until just before his arrest in February of the previous year.

The victims, now aged between seven and thirteen, endured a series of traumatic experiences that have left lasting scars. The abuse began when the first victim was only four years old, and the assaults continued until shortly before McRoberts’s apprehension. The young girls, some of whom are sisters, have been haunted by nightmares and emotional distress ever since. One of the victims, now 13, was subjected to sexual acts by McRoberts while she was camping out near her home, an incident that was uncovered when her parents learned of her disclosures.

Prosecutor Scott Brady detailed the extent of McRoberts’s crimes, revealing that he had forced one girl to perform vile sexual acts and had shown her explicit magazines. The abuse was not limited to physical acts; McRoberts also engaged in indecent acts with a child while she was camping with a friend in a backyard tent. The community was shocked to learn that McRoberts had been a familiar and seemingly well-liked figure in Drumchapel for years, which made the betrayal even more painful for the families involved.

During the court proceedings at the High Court in Edinburgh, the atmosphere was tense and charged. As McRoberts was sentenced, parents and relatives shouted curses such as “die you b******” and “rot in hell.” One mother, visibly distressed, recounted her experience, saying, “Once the girls refused to let him into the house. They said ‘we don’t want him here,’ but I made them apologise to him. It makes me go cold.”

In a separate incident in February 1996, as McRoberts was detained pending social inquiry reports, a furious mother shouted from the courtroom, “May you rot in hell,” directed at him. The same day, other parents expressed their outrage, emphasizing that McRoberts had been a trusted member of the community who had exploited that trust for his own depraved purposes. It was revealed that most of the offenses occurred while he was babysitting, with the earliest abuse starting when the victim was just four years old.

McRoberts, who resides on Birness Drive in Pollokshaws, admitted to six charges involving all five children. His defense attorney, Graham Robertson, explained that social workers had been unable to locate McRoberts after he fled his home out of fear following threats, which complicated the case. The judge, Lord McCluskey, refused bail, citing concerns over public safety, and ordered that McRoberts remain in custody until sentencing, scheduled for three weeks later in Edinburgh.

Following the court session, the mother who had shouted her outrage called her daughter to share the news. She described her daughter’s response, saying, “Before I came to court, we sat and talked. She asked me, ‘Mummy, will you also clap your hands for me when he’s led away?’” The girl, like her peers, has been undergoing counseling to help cope with the trauma inflicted by McRoberts. Another mother, whose child was also a victim, expressed her disgust, stating, “McRoberts lived in the same street as most of us. He seemed to go out of his way to be helpful. Now we know why. He was worming his way into our confidence so he could abuse our children. We heard that he had fled his home because of threats. We didn’t threaten him. If we had got hold of him, we would have murdered him.”

As McRoberts was led away from the court under heavy police guard, relatives and community members continued to shout abuse. Some fathers even attempted to scale fences in their anger and frustration, underscoring the community’s collective outrage and sense of betrayal. The case has left a deep scar on the community of Drumchapel, and the court’s decision marks a significant step in seeking justice for the young victims who endured unimaginable suffering at the hands of someone they once trusted.