August 1997 Court told of ‘sickening’ abuse A park attendant who sexually abused two girls was warned by a judge yesterday to expect a substantial jail sentence. Some of the offences took place in quiet huts in Glasgow parks where John Kerr worked. The High Court in Glasgow heard that one of the victims, now a 31-year-old married woman, wanted to die as the man molested her. The other victim, now 29, is still undergoing psychological counselling. Lady Cosgrove told 59-year-old Kerr, a father of five, that he had committed a ”sickening catalogue of the most gross form of abuse”. The judge could not jail Kerr yesterday because no pre-sentence reports were available. However, she said: ”There is no doubt a substantial prison sentence will be imposed.” Kerr, of Buckton Road, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, was refused bail and remanded in custody until September 12 when he will be sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh. The victims sobbed in the back of the court as Kerr pleaded guilty to the offences which occurred in various parks and at his former homes in Katewell Avenue and Achamore Road, both Drumchapel, between January, 1978 and August, 1984. The charges said he acted in a shameless indecent manner towards the girls and had sexual intercourse with them. Mr Ronald Clancy, prosecuting, said the shameless conduct offences were frequent and repeated over a number of years. He had intercourse with the girls on a weekly basis . Mr Clancy said the victims did not encourage Kerr’s sexual interest in them. The victim who is now a married woman ”detested” what he did to her. Mr Clancy said: ”She wanted to die while the abuse was taking place. He told her not to tell anyone about what had happened and if she did no one would believe her and it would affect her mother’s health and might even kill her.” When she was being abused, the other victim felt she could not prevent it. Eventually she went to the police.