Galashiels pensioner jailed for sexually assaulting two young girls
A pensioner who sexually assaulted two young girls in the Scottish Borders has today (Monday) been jailed for two years.
Three of the offences - which date back to 2011 - happened when the girls were aged under 13.
William Thomson has also been placed on the Sex Offenders Register for ten years.
The 73-year-old, of Balmoral Avenue, Galashiels, had denied all five offences.
But he was found guilty by unanimous verdicts of sexually assaulting the girls at houses in Galashiels, Earlston and Hawick, as well as in a vehicle, between 2011 and 2019.
It followed a four-day trial by jury at Selkirk Sheriff Court.
His lawyer said that Thomson maintained his innocence but accepted he had been convicted of serious offences.
He pointed out his client was a first offender and acted as a carer for his wife who had health difficulties.
But Sheriff Peter Paterson said the offences involved a "gross breach of trust" and that a custodial sentence was inevitable.
In addition to two years jail and his name on the Sex Offenders Register, Thomson has also been made subject of a Non-Harassment Order forbidding any contact with his two victims for 10 years.
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