‘Monstrous man’ jailed for decades of child abuse in Swinton

William Abrahams (71) abused three schoolgirls in the Swinton area between the early 1980s and 2016. 

On Wednesday, he was found guilty of six counts of indecency with a child, three counts of rape and five counts of sexual assault following a two-week trial.

Abrahams, of Kirkcaldy, Scotland, abused three girls who were all under the age of 13 at the time of his offences.

An investigation into Abrahams was launched in 2016 when one of the victims made disclosures to a schools officer, who notified police.

Sentencing him, Jugde Roger Thomas described Abrahams as a “monstrous man” who had shown “the worst betrayal of trust one can think of”.

Speaking after the sentencing, Det Con Scott Walker said: “After one of the victims spoke to police about what happened, she said she felt stronger for telling someone. All three of the victims in this case have shown immense courage in coming forward and seeing the case through the court process. 

“Following the initial disclosure in 2016, we began to gather evidence and further allegations against Abrahams came to light from other victims. 

“We were then able to bring him in for interview and eventually charge him. He was in a position of trust with each young victim in this case, which he blatantly betrayed, taking the opportunity to commit these terrible crimes, with the hope that they would never come forward to report them.

“However, he has significantly underestimated their bravery in not only reporting what happened, but giving evidence during the trial. For this, they should be commended and I only hope that knowing he has been jailed for what may well be the rest of his life can provide some closure to their ordeal.”

Det Con Walker added: “I’m pleased he is now behind bars for such a significant length of time and I hope that this sends out a clear message to victims that they will be listened to, we’re here to help and to ensure you get justice.”