Elderly man jailed for historic child abuse

ELDERLY MAN JAILED FOR HISTORIC CHILD ABUSE

A man named Norman Phimister, aged 69, has been convicted for historic sexual abuse offences that occurred over two decades ago.

The court heard detailed testimonies from two young girls, aged between nine and eleven at the time.

One victim described how Phimister would wear an unfastened dressing gown without any clothes underneath, revealing everything, which she found strange.

She explained that the abuse escalated with him touching her inappropriately and making her touch his private parts, all while pretending to play with her.

She trusted him, believing he was a kind man, but later realized the deception.

Following the abuse, she struggled with destructive behaviors and feelings she couldn’t cope with.

Phimister denied the charges in court, but the jury took only an hour and a half to deliver unanimous guilty verdicts on two counts of lewd, indecent, and libidinous practices.

The court also received a victim impact statement.

During sentencing, Phimister maintained his innocence, which meant no rehabilitative work could be done.

Sheriff Eilidh MacDonald noted that his crimes exhibited grooming behavior and breach of trust, with some planning involved.

Phimister was sentenced to 18 months in prison and will be on the sex offenders register for 10 years.