Ayrshire children's home worker sentenced for sex abuse
A grandfather who is serving 13 years behind bars for abusing boys at a children's home was given another eight years behind bars for sexually assaulting more youngsters.
A grandfather who is serving 13 years behind bars for abusing boys at a children's home was sentences to 8 years behind bars for sexually assaulting more youngsters. Both of these four year sentences will run concurrently.
60-year-old Brian Newman, was jailed last year for abusing six youngsters in the 1990s at a children's home in Ayrshire after his victims were moved to come forward following the Jimmy Savile scandal.
And he was given more jail time, totaling nearly a decade, after a jury at Paisley Sheriff Court found him guilty of abusing boys in the 1980s and 1990s.
He was found guilty by majority of abusing one boy at Burnside Children's Home in Irvine, and another at the home in Kilmarnock.
He was slammed by a sheriff for his actions, who said it was the most serious breach of trust there is.
He targeted his first victim between November 1989 and March 1993 - when the victim was aged between 10 and 13.
And between December 1988 and December 1990 he targeted another young boy, when he was aged between 13 and 15, at the home in Kilmarnock.
The first victim, who is now 36 and has a family of his own, sobbed as he told a jury about the abuse he suffered at the hands of Newman, who was supposed to be looking after him.
Newman also took his second victim to the home he shared with his wife and kids to abuse him.
But he insisted he had done nothing wrong - and said he had actually done all he could for the boys.
Giving evidence in his own defence, Newman said: "I tried to make their experience as pleasurable as possible.
"I treated them in a way as if they lived in a normal family setting."
Newman, a carer at the children's home, insisted he was good at his job and told prosecutor Jennifer Thomson that he believed his victims had made up lies about him for financial gain.
He said: "Nowadays there is big hype on the television and in the papers about compensation.
"I read an article recently that said Britain is turning in to a compensation culture - that people are saying, 'I tripped over a step', just to get easy cash.
"I can only assume they've jumped on the bandwagon and are doing that - I can't come to any other conclusion.
"I can put my hand on my heart and say I'm an innocent man."
Despite knowing her husband was already serving time behind bars for sexually abusing young boys his wife gave evidence in his defence.
The 59-year-old told the jury his second victim had never been in her home - even though that's where the sex abuse took place.
The jury of five men and ten women rejected the Newmans' lies and took less than three hours to convict him of assaulting the two boys.
He had faced a third charge that he had abused another boy repeatedly at Burnside between December 1988 and December 1989, when the boy was aged between 10 and 11, but the jury found him not guilty.
After hearing that Newman was already serving 13 years behind bars for abusing boys at a different children's home, Sheriff Tom McCartney left the bench for almost an hour to decide how to deal with him. When he returned to court, the sheriff said: "In considering sentence the gravity of these crimes is appropriate.
"In my mind the conduct was serious sexual abuse of vulnerable children.
"The offending behaviour was repeated and continued over an extended period.
"The opportunity to carry out the abuse arose from your position as a member of staff in the children's home, where you were charged with the care of these children - a more serious breach of trust would be difficult to imagine.
"The victims bravely gave evidence and I had the opportunity to witness the serious lasting impact of the abuse on them.
"Clearly, a prison sentence must be imposed."
He said the 13-year sentence Newman is already serving, for offences which took place after the ones he was convicted of today/yesterday, were "a continuation and an escalation of offending which started at Burnside."
He sentenced Newman to four years behind bars for each victim, totaling eight years.
But he ordered the sentences to be served at the same time and to run from today- meaning he will not spend any further time behind bars.
Newman showed no emotion as he was told he was being jailed but smiled at his family, who were in court to show their support, as he was led away in handcuffs.