A life long predatory Coldstream paedophile, Henry Renton, who sexually assaulted and raped two teenage schoolgirls, resulting in one child being left severely traumatised, was sentenced to imprisonment today. Henry Renton was known to police for decades and has a string of child molestation convictions with a little jail each time.
Henry Renton, aged 80, directed his attention towards children at a location in Prestonpans and at a residence in Duns in the Scottish Borders.
Henry Renton, residing on Abbey Road in Coldstream, refuted multiple claims during a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh but was convicted of six sexual offences perpetrated between 2000 and 2007.
A judge informed Henry Renton that he confronted “a lengthy sentence” and remanded the sex offender, who was on bail during his trial, into custody to procure a background report.
Lord Lake said to the jurors that counselling was available if any of them wanted to take advantage of it and told them: “Some of the evidence you have heard has been quite disturbing and distressing.”
Henry Renton began targeting his first victim for abuse in October 2000 when the girl was aged nine.
Over a three-year period, he touched and molested the child.
He carried out sex acts on the girl at a house in the Borders and made her perform sex acts on him.
Henry Renton went on to subject the girl to repeated rapes from thee age of 11 as he continued to perpetrate a catalogue of abuse against the child.
He was convicted of indecent conduct, indecent assault and rape offences against her which took place in the Borders and in Prestonpans.
Henry Renton also subjected a second girl to his predatory offending when she was aged 13 between December 2003 and May 2004 at a house in the Borders.
He exposed himself in front of the girl and subjected her to an assault and rape on one occasion.
The court heard that the victim spoke to a leader at a youth organisation she was attending and revealed that she had been raped.
The woman told the court: “She was a wreck. She was visibly shaken. She was crying.
“I had this little girl on a chair who had pulled her knees up. She was rocking, she was crying, she was a mess.”
Following the verdict, the jury heard that Henry Renton was previously convicted of abusing two further children.
Henry Renton was placed on the sex offenders’ register and sentence was adjourned on him until May 9 at the High Court in Glasgow.
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