The Kirkcaldy Paedophiles, Samantha Crawford and Michael Cummins are behind bars awaiting sentence after being found guilty of horrendous crimes against children.
Samantha Crawford and Michael Cummins, a couple who forced two young children to participate in their rape of a baby during a catalogue of abuse against youngsters in Fife, are behind bars.
Samantha Crawford, 33, and her then-partner Michael Cummins, 35, compelled the older children to take part in attacks on the infant.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard how Samantha Crawford and Michael Cummins also subjected the children to repeated serious sexual and physical assaults during a four-year period.
They also abused a fourth child.
Samantha Crawford and Michael Cummins, both of Kirkcaldy, stood trial before judge Lord Harrower, denying any wrongdoing against the children, who cannot be named for legal reasons.
But on Monday, jurors returned guilty verdicts against Samantha Crawford and Michael Cummins.
They had spent the past week and a half listening to evidence detailing the impact the attacks have had on the children.
Remanded
Samantha Crawford, who chose not to give evidence in her defence, started crying uncontrollably as jurors returned their verdicts.
Her ex-partner stared as judge Lord Harrower remanded the duo in custody before a sentencing hearing next month.
The judge told jurors they would be eligible for counselling if they needed it.
He said: “You have been found guilty of a number of charges.
“The charges are of assault and serious sexual offences including rape.
“I’m bound to obtain criminal justice social work report. You are both remanded in custody.”
Four children targeted
Records from the Scotlands People website show Samantha Crawford and Michael Cummins were married in Kirkcaldy in 2011 and divorced in 2022.
The court heard how they targeted their first victim when of early primary school age.
Michael Cummins raped this child and committed other sexual and physical assaults.
Their second victim was a pre-school child who was repeatedly struck on the head and body with a belt by Michael Cummins.
Samantha Crawford also repeatedly committed assaults with her hand on the head and body.
The youngster was also sexually assaulted by Michael Cummins.
The third victim was just one when they caused the other children to commit rape.
The child was subjected to rapes on “various occasions”.
The pair also sexually and physically assaulted a fourth child.
Sentencing deferred
During proceedings, the jury heard evidence how doctors who examined the victims had come to the conclusion their injuries had been caused by “traumatic” force.
Lord Harrower deferred sentence until a hearing at the High Court in Glasgow on November 18 2024.
He placed the pair on the sex offenders register.
UPDATE 221124 – FINALLY SENTENCED TO A LITTLE PRISON TIME
A woman who, with her ex-husband, forced two children to participate in the rape of a one-year-old girl during a catalogue of abuse has been jailed for ten years.
Samantha Crawford, 33, and her then partner Michael Cummins, 35, forced the boys, who were aged seven and three, to take part in attacks on the infant.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard how Samantha Crawford and Michael Cummins also subjected the boys and the girl to repeated serious sexual and physical assaults during a four-year period beginning in 2014. They also abused a fourth child.
The court heard how the attacks took place at locations in Fife.
Samantha Crawford and Michael Cummins, both of Kirkcaldy, stopped the children from telling anyone about what had happened.
They both stood trial earlier this year before judge Lord Harrower, where they denied any wrongdoing against the children. Sentencing had been deferred for the judge to obtain reports on their backgrounds.
On Wednesday, Samantha Crawford and Michael Cummins reappeared at court to be sentenced.
Crawford was ordered to serve ten years in custody, while Cummins was told he would serve 14 years in jail.
Samantha Crawford and Michael Cummins were also told they would be supervised for years following their release – Crawford for three years and Cummins for four years.
Passing sentence, Lord Harrower said: “Your offending must be categorised as extreme. The impact of your offending on these children will be devastating.
“You do not accept any responsibility and neither of you have shown any remorse for your actions.”
Jurors returned guilty verdicts against the pair who claimed they were innocent of any wrongdoing against the children, who cannot be named for legal reasons.
They had spent a week and a half listening to evidence detailing the impact that the attacks had had on the children.
Judge Lord Harrower remanded Michael Cummins and Crawford in custody.
He told the jurors they would be eligible for counselling if they wanted to speak to somebody about their ordeal.
Records from the ScotlandsPeople website show that Michael Cummins and Samantha Crawford were married in Kirkcaldy in 2011 and divorced in 2022.
The court heard evidence of how Samantha Crawford and Michael Cummins targeted their first victim, a boy when he was aged seven years old. Cummins raped this child and subjected him to physical assaults.
Michael Cummins also sexually and physically assaulted this child.
Their second victim was a three-year-old child who was repeatedly struck on the head and body with a belt by Cummins – Crawford also repeatedly struck him with her hand on the head and body. He was also sexually assaulted by Cummins.
The third victim was a little girl who was just one year old.
The court heard how the little girl was subjected to rapes on “various occasions”.
The pair also sexually and physically assaulted a fourth boy – he was born earlier in 2014.
During proceedings, the jury heard evidence of how doctors who had examined the victims had come to the conclusion that their injuries had been caused by “traumatic” force.
When prosecutor Erin Campbell asked Michael Cummins, who gave evidence, about his thoughts about this medical evidence, he replied: “That’s their opinion.”
Crawford’s advocate Jonathan Crowe told Lord Harrower that she still maintained her innocence.
Lord Harrower also placed the pair on the Sex Offenders Register for life.
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.