A man was sentenced yesterday for child sexual abuse committed in the Edinburgh area over a three-year period.
Jason King, 41, was convicted following a trial at the High Court on 19th September, where he was found guilty of three offences of indecent behaviour toward young girls.
King has also been convicted of drug supply offences after the investigation found him to be involved in the supply of ecstasy, cocaine and amphetamines.
At the High Court in Edinburgh yesterday, he was sentenced to six years in prison placed on the sex offenders register for life.
King committed the abuse against three girls, then aged between 12 and 15-years-old, between 2002 and 2005.
Detectives from Police Scotland’s Public Protection Unit began an investigation into King following reports of his concerning behaviour from one of the victims.
King was subsequently arrested and charged in December 2016.
The Court heard King has a long catalogue of previous convictions.
On sentencing, judge Lord Arthurson said: “Jason Alexander King, on 19 September 2019 at Edinburgh High Court you were convicted on unanimous jury verdicts of very serious sexual offending, consisting of three charges of using lewd, indecent and libidinous practices and behaviour towards three particularly vulnerable female children, and further of being concerned in the supply to these children and to others, in various combinations, of the class A controlled drugs ecstasy and cocaine, and the class B controlled drug amphetamine. These crimes were committed by you over periods between January 2002 and November 2005.
“You have accrued a criminal record comprising nine groups of convictions, running from 1994 to 2013. You have received four community-based disposals to date, most recently in 2013 for offending which included a sexually aggravated conviction for threatening and abusive behaviour.
“In the background report prepared upon you for today’s sentencing hearing the author has noted that your attitude towards your offending behaviour has continued to demonstrate a callous disregard for the well-being of your victims, whom you appear to blame for your current circumstances.
“You have in addition been assessed as a high risk of sexual reoffending. Your risk of harm is such that it is not considered currently to be manageable in the community; indeed, the author of the report has expressed the opinion that, should you return to the community, you would pose a significant risk of harm to female members of the public.
“Having noted the terms of this assessment of your risk, I have to say that the basis for this assessment is a little unclear, however, as the author has referred to matters which had featured in an earlier version of your indictment and which were withdrawn by the Crown prior to your trial. In addition, the index offending in your case occurred some considerable time ago.
“I have listened carefully to the helpful and focussed submissions in mitigation advanced this morning on your behalf by senior counsel, and I propose to take fully into account everything that has been said by him, particularly concerning your family background, personal circumstances and your mental health history.
“The nature of your offending in this case can on any view properly be characterised as a course of predatory sexual criminal conduct, involving, over periods of years, the targeting by you of vulnerable young girls, all for the purposes of your own sexual gratification.
“In addition you separately supplied these girls and others with the class A drugs ecstasy and cocaine and the class B drug amphetamine, again over a period of years. In order to punish you for offending of such gravity, a substantial sentence of imprisonment is undoubtedly merited in your case.
“In the whole circumstances I accordingly now sentence you on this indictment as follows. On charges 1 to 3 inclusive, on an in cumulo basis, you will serve a sentence of 4 years imprisonment. On charges 4 to 6, again on an in cumulo basis, you will serve a consecutive sentence of 2 years imprisonment. In fixing these tariffs I have had regard to the sentencing requirements of totality and proportionality. These sentences will be backdated to 19 September 2019, being the date of your conviction and initial remand in custody in this case.
“Finally, as a result of this disposal, you will henceforth be subject to the notification requirements of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 for an indefinite period.”
Detective Sergeant Craig Guthrie from Edinburgh’s Public Protection Unit said: “Jason King is a dangerous and predatory individual who has committed a number of extremely serious sexual offences against young girls over a period of time.
“He preyed on the victims and befriended the girls before taking advantage of them.
“I would like to thank and commend the victims for coming forward and contacting police to report the abuse they suffered. I hope that the sentencing today will offer them some comfort as they seek to put their ordeals behind them.
“We treat all reports of sexual crime with the utmost seriousness and will investigate all reports of sexual offences thoroughly in order to bring perpetrators of such crimes to justice, while at the same time providing all the necessary support and assistance to victims.”
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