May 2018 Fife man sentenced for child sexual abuse A Fife mechanic who targeted two young girls has been jailed for six years after being found guilty of “grave and highly disturbing” sexual offending. Norman Gartshore preyed on his victims over a nine year period between 1976 and 1985 at an address in Methil. The 53-year-old denied charges of indecency against both girls and initially refused to admit he had sex with the older of the two when she was unable to give consent. The pervert was jailed at Glasgow High Court on May 22 after being found guilty of historical child sex offences at a trial. Lord Paul Arthurson said: “In the case of your principal victim, you engaged in a course of conduct of sexual abuse against her involving a very significant number of years of her childhood. “Put shortly, you engaged in penetrative sexual activity with two children, in conduct that was as despicable as it was deviant, and the purpose of the sentence which the court will impose upon you today is to punish you for these crimes. “You are today being sentenced as an adult offender, but the court takes very much into account your relatively young age throughout the period of your offending, and indeed the constructive life that you have lived since that time as an adult, both in your family life and your employment. “You are a first offender who has shown yourself to be a responsible member of society.” Lord Arthurson added that Gartshore appeared to show genuine remorse for his offending and had only just begun to understand the “irreparable harm” of his actions. The judgement made reference to a victim impact statement from one of the women, who was just nine when the abuse began, and how she had now been “shunned” by her family for speaking the truth. She added: “I always seem to have the feeling of being used and abused, sexually.” Gartshore was exposed when one of his victims, now 51, contacted the other, now 44, on Facebook and told her she had witnessed the young girl being molested. He was ordered to spend six years behind bars and will be on the sex offenders register indefinitely. April 2018 Mechanic who preyed on young girls faces jail A man who sexually abused two childhood friends more than 30 years ago has been locked up. Norman Gartshore preyed on one girl from the age of nine while still a schoolboy and his abuse escalated into having sex with her while she was sleeping when she was a teenager. The victim also witnessed him molesting her younger friend when she was aged between five and seven years old. Unemployed motor engineer Gartshore (53) admitted that he had touched the older girl on three occasions on the back, leg and bottom but denied that his behaviour had escalated into sex acts with her. The pervert denied three charges of indecency against the girls between 1976 and 1980 and a further allegation of assaulting the older girl and having sex with her between 1980 and 1985 when she was asleep and incapable of giving or withholding consent. But a jury at the High Court in Edinburgh found him guilty of the abuse and assaults carried out at an address in Methil. A judge told him: “You have been convicted of grave and highly disturbing sexual offending against young girls.” Lord Arthurson rejected a defence motion that Gartshore should be allowed to remain free on bail while a background report is prepared on him ahead of sentencing next month. The judge remanded him in custody and told him he would be receiving “a substantial custodial sentence” for his crimes. The court heard that one victim, now aged 51, sent a message to the other “out of the blue” through the social media site Facebook revealing that had seen Gartshore molest her as a child. She also told the woman that he had subjected her to abuse as well. The other woman, now aged 44, wrote back to her that she was sorry to hear of it and added: “I dealt with this years ago through counselling.” The younger woman told the court that when she was a little girl she went to get the other victim to go and play but met Gartshore on a path and he molested her. Gartshore had already started abusing the older girl by that time and would touch her before having sex with her as a teenager. Gartshore, formerly of Lime Grove, Methil, told the court: “I was basically discovering how things work.” He said to police that he was “a wee bit infatuated” with the older girl when younger. He conceded he did hurt her and added: “It was a nasty, terrible thing to do.” But he told the court: “I wasn’t sexually attracted to young girls.” He maintained the victims were lying in their evidence over serious episodes of abuse. Advocate depute Richard Goddard said to him: “The fact is when you were younger you had an interest in sexually abusing younger girls when the opportunity presented itself.” Gartshore replied: “Absolutely not.” Gartshore was placed on the sex offenders’ register.