FRASER MCALPINE FROM CARDENDEN SENTENCED FOR HORRIFIC SEXUAL ABUSE IN EDINBURGH

In March 1998, a civil servant from Cardenden, Fraser McAlpine, was sentenced to a decade behind bars after being found guilty of a series of heinous sexual offenses against a young girl. The case, which unfolded in the High Court in Edinburgh, revealed a disturbing pattern of abuse that spanned several years and inflicted profound trauma on the victim.

McAlpine, aged 41 at the time, had previously held the position of business manager at the Benefits Agency in Edinburgh. His arrest came in July of the previous year, shortly after he returned from a family holiday in America. The victim, who was still a primary school pupil when the abuse began, had initially confided in others about her suffering. However, her courage was undermined when McAlpine threatened her, warning that she would face harm if she disclosed the abuse, leading her to recant her initial account.

Despite her retraction, the abuse persisted, and the young girl’s distress was compounded by the false accusations of lying. The court heard that the abuse started when she was just seven years old. As she grew older, around the ages of 10 or 11, she confided in a friend about what was happening, prompting her headmaster and the police to become involved. Unfortunately, McAlpine’s threats and intimidation caused her to change her story, and he continued his misconduct unabated.

The abuse escalated over time, eventually involving full sexual intercourse. The victim, now in her late teens, revealed that she believed she was pregnant on two separate occasions due to McAlpine’s actions. Her ordeal was so severe that she attempted to take her own life at one point. The court was told that she had to endure her childhood coping with the trauma inflicted upon her, which had lasting effects on her mental health.

During the proceedings, Miss Ruth Anderson, advocate-depute, detailed the extent of the abuse and its impact. She emphasized that McAlpine’s actions had not only devastated the girl’s life but also caused significant turmoil within his own family. The court was informed that McAlpine had been suspended from his job before being dismissed, and he was beginning to grasp the full extent of the harm he had caused.

McAlpine’s legal representative, Mr. Branislav Sudjic, acknowledged the gravity of his client’s conduct, stating, “Nothing can be said that could possibly in any way mitigate or explain this appalling course of conduct.” The court was told that McAlpine’s admission of guilt, while late, spared the victim the ordeal of giving evidence in court.

Lord Cullen, the Lord Justice Clerk, condemned the case as revealing “an appalling, horrifying history of abuse and cruelty.” He highlighted that the abuse had been ongoing for approximately ten years, during which McAlpine subjected the girl to repeated and prolonged demands for sexual gratification. In delivering the sentence, Lord Cullen emphasized the seriousness of the offense and society’s strong condemnation of such behavior, ultimately sentencing McAlpine to ten years in prison.