A 62-year-old man has been found guilty of orchestrating a two-decade campaign of sexual violence against children in Edinburgh, including an attack on an infant to whom he administered vodka to facilitate the assault. Ian Whyte carried out the abuse between December 1978 and May 1998, targeting vulnerable youngsters over a span of nearly 20 years. He was convicted on nine charges of sexual assault and rape following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh.
The High Court judge, Thomas Welsh KC, characterised the offences as
a shocking catalogue of grave and serious crimes against children. The judge indicated that a risk assessment report would be prepared to evaluate the danger Whyte currently poses to children and young people before sentencing takes place next month at the High Court in Edinburgh.
The pattern of offending began in December 1978, when Whyte was approximately 14 years old. His first victim was a four-year-old boy whom he sexually assaulted and continued to abuse for a period of four years. Between September 1982 and September 1983, when Whyte was around 18 years old, he attacked a baby girl under one year of age after placing vodka in her bottle. During the same period, he raped a nine-year-old girl and a 12-year-old girl.
In another documented incident, Whyte supplied a 13-year-old girl with solvents and attempted to rape her. Between November 1995 and May 1998, he subjected a six-year-old girl to repeated physical and sexual assaults on various occasions.
How did Whyte manipulate his victims?
The court heard evidence that Whyte employed psychological manipulation tactics to facilitate his abuse. He made some of his victims participate in a game he called
mummies and daddiesbefore sexually assaulting them, using this pretence to normalise the abuse and lower their resistance.
What was Whyte's defence?
Throughout the trial, Whyte denied all nine charges brought against him. He claimed that his victims were fabricating allegations against him, maintaining his innocence despite the jury's findings. However, the court also heard that Whyte had previously served a four-year prison sentence in the late 1990s for other sexual assaults, establishing a documented history of such offences.
What happens next?
Whyte will return to the High Court in Edinburgh next month for sentencing. Prior to that hearing, the court will receive a risk assessment report evaluating the ongoing threat he presents to children and young people.
Key Facts:
- Ian Whyte, 62, convicted of nine charges of sexual assault and rape spanning 20 years (December 1978 to May 1998)
- Victims ranged from infants to 12-year-old children; he administered vodka to a baby before assaulting her
- Whyte had previously served four years in prison in the late 1990s for other sexual assaults
- He will be sentenced at Edinburgh High Court next month following a risk assessment report
