Man jailed for 20 years for raping woman with learning difficulties

A vile sex beast who raped a 21-year-old woman with learning difficulties 20 years ago was yesterday (Fri) jailed for 10 years.

Sixty-one-year-old Charles Hewetson, from Bridgeton, Glasgow, was also found guilty of the historic sexual abuse of a four-year-old girl and sexually abusing another girl between the ages of four and 15.

The offences were committed at various addresses in Glasgow between November 1981 and January 1997.

Judge Johanna Johnston also ordered Hewetson to be monitored in the community for two years after his release.

She told Hewetson: "These attacks were persistently carried out over a 16-year period. You used your friends to get access to victims. You have a deviant sexual interest in children and it is necessary to protect the public.

The High Court in Glasgow heard that Hewetson would abuse the girls while others were in the house. He would take a victim into another room and carry out the abuse.

He abused the four-year-old when he was sleeping on the couch at a friend's home.

In 1997 both the four-year-old and the woman who was raped told what had happened to them, but it was not until 2015 when Hewetson's third victim came forward that the case against him could be taken to court.

Prosecutor Angela Gray said: “He has a previous analagous conviction from 1994 for which he received a 12 month sentence.”

Defence counsel Greg Farrell said: “He accepts partial responsibility for his actions. He is assessed as a medium risk of re-offending.”

Judge Johnston placed Hewetson on the sex offenders' register.