Convicted rapist jailed for sexually assaulting girls

A convicted rapist who preyed on young girls during a campaign of sexual abuse was jailed for 13 years today.

William Wingate molested five girls and subjected three of the victims to rape ordeals during an 11 year catalogue of sex crimes against children.

A judge told Wingate at the High Court in Edinburgh: "It is plain that such offending has terrible, long term consequences for your victims."

Lord Beckett said: "I do consider it necessary to impose a substantial sentence of imprisonment in order to punish you and to seek to deter you and others from abusing children."

The judge pointed out the 58-year old had an extensive record of convictions including significant crimes of violence.

Lord Beckett said that in passing sentence on Wingate he took into account the age he is now.

He told the sex predator that he would remain on the sex offenders' register indefinitely following his latest convictions for sex crimes.

Wingate had denied a string of charges of sexual abuse committed against his girl victims, the youngest of whom was aged six, between 1986 and 1997, but was earlier found guilty of 10 charges.

He carried out the abuse at houses in Paisley and Johnstone, in Renfrewshire, and Glasgow and in cars and at a wooded area.

He made indecent advances to his first victim when she was aged nine at an address in Paisley before going on to molest a second girl aged six who he got to perform sex acts on him in a motor vehicle and then raped when she was eight years old.

Wingate abused and exposed himself to a third girl in Paisley during four years of offending against the child from 1989 when she was aged eight.

She was also subjected to rapes.

He targeted another eight-year-old from 1990 and carried out sex acts on her and got her to perform sex acts on him at addresses in Paisley and Johnstone and in a car in Paisley, Johnstone and Greenock.

He also raped the girl after she turned 12.

His final victim was also subjected to abuse by him from the age of eight in the south side of Glasgow and Johnstone and in a vehicle on roads in Paisley, Johnstone and Glasgow.

Wingate, formerly of Bridge Street, Lockerbie, in Dumfriesshire, continued to protest his innocence of the sex crimes, the court heard.

Defence counsel Lorraine Glancy said that Wingate, who has a previous conviction for a similar type of offence, had made it clear he expected to receive "a significant custodial sentence".

She said: "Standing his attitude towards his conviction, unless his attitude changes significantly, it seems unlikely he would qualify for parole at any time during this sentence."

She added that Wingate had made it clear that he will not co-operate with the authorities in any attempts to reduce the risk he poses.