WILLIAM QUIGG, BRIDGE OF WEIR, JAILED FOR SEXUAL ABUSE OF TWO BOYS

In March 2019, William Quigg, a 77-year-old former scout master and foster parent from Bridge of Weir, Renfrewshire, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for sexually abusing two children during the 1980s. Quigg showed no emotion as he was sentenced at the High Court in Livingston, where the court heard that the offenses occurred between 1980 and 1986 at various addresses in Glasgow.

One of his victims, Ian Johnstone, who waived his right to anonymity, expressed his satisfaction with the sentence. Mr. Johnstone stated, “It has been a 31-year fight to get justice, but I am satisfied with how justice has been delivered. Ten years will afford Quigg much time to contemplate his offences and the effects they had on his victims.” He also remarked that the sentence was far less than the duration of his own struggles stemming from Quigg’s crimes. “I hope others affected by Quigg will now feel brave enough to come forward. Justice works no matter how long ago the offences took place,” he added.

During the sentencing, Lord Burns described Quigg’s abuse as “of the most grave kind,” emphasizing that one of the boys had told the jury he had submitted to sexual acts by Quigg rather than be returned to a care home. The judge highlighted the betrayal of trust involved, stating, “I can’t ignore the serious breach of trust that these offences represent. You exploited them for your own sexual purpose.” As part of his sentence, Quigg was told his name would remain on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Defense lawyer Mark Stewart acknowledged the severity of Quigg’s actions, noting that the case involved “extreme abuse” and a gross breach of trust. He added, “It’s a matter of practical fact that he is a man who is 77 years of age now. It’s accepted that he faces a significant custodial sentence. He understands he may not live to see his liberation from this sentence.”

It was revealed that Quigg raped Mr. Johnstone when he was between 12 and 15 years old and sexually abused another teenage boy. Mr. Johnstone detailed that the abuse was almost daily during his five or six years living with Quigg, who was his foster father in Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire. Speaking to BBC Scotland, Mr. Johnstone said, “Over the five or six years I was with them, sexual abuse was basically a daily occurrence. And severe sexual abuse occurred on many occasions.”

He recounted that he first reported Quigg's abuse in 1989, but it took 30 years for justice to be served. Quigg admitted to sexually abusing one boy aged between 12 and 15 but denied raping Mr. Johnstone and sexually abusing him from age 12 to 16. Nonetheless, the jury convicted him of all charges.

In February 2019, the court convicted Quigg of the abuse, and he was subsequently remanded in custody ahead of sentencing. Mr. Johnstone, who is now willing to speak publicly about his experiences, has called for legal reforms, stating, “I think if somebody chooses not to report child abuse, in some ways they’re almost as guilty because they’re allowing it to happen; they’re enabling it to happen. I think it should be against the law. Certainly, it would have stopped a lot quicker if somebody had reported it sooner.”

Describing the long-awaited justice, Mr. Johnstone expressed a mixture of relief and unresolved feelings: “There’s no victory in this at all for me. There’s a release and a moving forward. Can I move on from it? Maybe, with this verdict maybe I can move on.” Quigg’s conviction followed a court hearing where Lord Burns called the case “distressing” and ordered Quigg to be listed on the sex offenders register. Quigg was remanded into custody before his sentencing at the High Court in Livingston scheduled for the following month.