SERIAL SEX ATTACKER WHO SKIPPED TRIAL JAILED FOR NINE YEARS
Edward Findlay, aged 57 and residing in Elgin, Moray, engaged in a 25-year period of abuse during which he exploited four girls, sexually assaulting three of them.One victim was only six years old at the time of the abuse.
His offenses spanned from 1995 to 2019 and took place in locations including Elgin, Fochabers, and Alloa in Clackmannanshire.
He received a sentence of eight years in prison, along with an additional year for contempt of court.
Earlier this year, Findlay faced trial at the High Court in Inverness.
While on bail, he failed to appear on three successive days after the victims had testified about their experiences.
A warrant was subsequently issued for his arrest, and he was convicted in his absence.
He was found guilty of raping three of the girls and of engaging in lewd and libidinous behaviour towards another.
Findlay was finally detained in June and appeared before the court via video link from incarceration for sentencing at the High Court in Glasgow.
Lady Drummond remarked to him, 'It appears that you have taken no responsibility for your crimes or the impact your behaviour has had.' Regarding his disappearance during the trial, the judge commented, 'I have no hesitation in finding that you acted in wilful defiance of the court's authority.
It had the potential to jeopardise your trial after witnesses had given evidence.' Upon his release, Findlay will undergo four years of supervision and will be listed as a sex offender indefinitely.
