JOHN ROBERTSON CHILD SEX OFFENDER IN GLASGOW SENTENCED AFTER VICTIM'S LETTER DISCOVERY

In March 2014, a man named John Robertson was sentenced to 12 years in prison at the High Court in Glasgow after being convicted of raping two young girls and sexually abusing two others over a span of 20 years.

Robertson's arrest and eventual conviction stemmed from the discovery of a heartfelt letter written by one of his victims, which was found by a family member in 2002. The letter, though never sent to anyone, read: "For the last seven years John Robertson has sexually abused me. I am ashamed and embarrassed. Can you help me?". The family member read the letter and promptly contacted the police.

It was nine years after the letter's discovery, in 2011, that Robertson was formally charged after additional victims came forward with allegations.

At his sentencing, Judge Michael O’Grady QC described Robertson’s actions as "an appalling course of conduct". The judge stated, "You spent years preying on children. You abused the complainers when they were aged between eight and 15. Two of them were raped on seven occasions. With some of your victims, you have blighted their young lives and with some, you have haunted their adult lives."

During the trial at Glasgow's High Court, Robertson denied all allegations and claimed that his victims—who are now women—were fabricating stories to seek compensation.

Judge O’Grady reaffirmed the severity of Robertson’s crimes, saying, "You have been found guilty of an appalling course of conduct, years of preying on vulnerable young women time and again."

The offences took place between 1990 and 2002 at a farm located in Inverclyde.

The victim who authored the letter, now 26 years old, told advocate depute Jane Farquharson, "I can't remember how many times I was raped." She explained, "I thought that kind of thing happened to everybody, and once I realized it didn’t, I thought I should have said something sooner, but I didn’t know how to stop it."

Another woman who was sexually abused by Robertson stated that she "just froze" when he inappropriately touched her. The court also considered a charge of rape against Robertson that was ultimately found not proven.

It was also noted that Robertson has previous convictions for minor road traffic offences. Throughout the proceedings, Robertson maintained his innocence on all charges.