A former senior Scottish lawyer was jailed for 10 years after committing a catalogue of sexual abuse against four young children more than four decades ago. John Watt QC, who acted as a criminal defence counsel and served as a prosecutor, preyed on three girls and one boy in offences committed over a 14-year period.
Watt, 72, was extradited from America to stand trial earlier this year and was found guilty of one charge of rape, one of indecent assault and three of indecent conduct committed at houses in the Edinburgh area between September 1973 and August 1987. A judge told the sex offender at the High Court in Edinburgh : "The offences committed by you were of the utmost seriousness and gravity."
Lord Braid said: "In each case the offences have had a profound and life-changing effect on the victims." The judge said that Watt continued to maintain his innocence over the vile historical abuse and added that perhaps explained why he had not demonstrated any remorse or empathy for his victims.
