PERTHSHIRE MAN FACES TRIAL FOR ABUSING YOUNG GIRL AND ASSAULTING WOMAN

A man has gone on trial accused of sexual abuse and rape involving two women. During the proceedings at the Livingston High Court, the victim, now a 50-year-old grandmother, recounted being sexually abused by George Townsley three times after inviting her for walks at a fruit farm near Blairgowrie. She described that initially the walks were uneventful, but on the fourth visit, Townsley took her into a wooded area, pushed her to the ground, and raped her. She stated, “At the time I didn’t know what it was, but I got older and realised he raped me. He forced himself on me.” After revealing the abuse to her mother, she was warned that Townsley would be arrested if he touched her again. She explained, “We’re from a travelling community and we don’t talk about stuff like this, but five six years ago I took a mini breakdown about what happened to me when I was a child.” She eventually reported the incidents to police three years ago. George Townsley, aged 64, who is currently a prisoner at Dumfries, faces charges of indecently assaulting, abducting, and raping the woman 40 years prior when she was 11. He also faces charges of assaulting a married woman on two occasions by compressing her throat, restricting her breathing, and repeatedly raping her between January 1982 and 1985. The alleged offenses took place at a farm near Blairgowrie, Perthshire, and possibly in Dundee. Townsley has denied all allegations. The trial, presided over by Lord Uist, is ongoing.