Former Borders cop gets 12 years for sex attacks

Kevin Storey had two persona a highly commended former police officer and a violent sex attacker

The court heard former sergeant Kevin Storey, 48, had a lengthy and honourable record of police service in the Scottish Borders and other parts of Britain. But temporary judge Paul Arthurson QC told him at the High Court in Edinburgh: “Your appalling crimes render you a disgrace to your former uniform.”

The judge ordered that Storey should be kept under supervision for a further three years after he comes out of jail. He was put on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.

Storey was refused bail last month after he was convicted of eight charges against three women and a child.

The first offender, formerly of Melrose, had denied a string of charges, but was convicted by a jury at the High Court in Edinburgh of rape, attempted rape, indecent assault and assault committed at various locations in the Borders.

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One woman who was sexually assaulted by him told jurors: “I would shout at him. I would say ‘What are you doing, you dirty bastard’.”

Another victim feared he was “untouchable” and spoke about him being in the Masons and a police officer.

The woman said she had felt “used” by Storey and found some of his sexual practices “painful and disgusting”, the court heard.

Advocate depute Paul Kearney told jurors that the Crown contended that Storey had subjected women to emotional, verbal and physical abuse and that two victims had also been sexually abused.

“You can be sure this was not three actresses who came to this court reading from an internal script,” he said.

He pointed out Storey maintained the allegations were false and that he never laid a finger on them.

But the prosecutor said there was “a clear course of conduct” surrounding the physical abuse of victims.

Storey was found guilty of assaulting his first victim in 1989 at a house in Galashiels. She was grabbed by the body and pushed out of the house and seized by the neck.

A second woman, now aged 46, was assaulted at addresses in the Borders town during the 1990s and Storey also tried to rape her. She told the court: “I wasn’t feeling very good about myself. I really stopped enjoying my life.”

A third woman, now aged 41, was subjected to abuse and violence that began in the 1990s.She also suffered rape and indecent assault.

The court heard that during one assault she ended up against the cooker in a house and blows rained down on her.

The woman was also struck on the foot with a belt and thrown on to a bed and punched and kicked.

Storey was also found guilty of assaulting a two-year-old boy by shouting and grabbing him by his upper clothing.

Defence counsel Shelagh McCall said Storey had been a serving police officer for 28 years but resigned following his conviction.

She said he had received five commendations, two relating to river rescues and one to stopping a suicide on a bridge.

She said he had been trained in public order matters and had been deployed at riots in Brixton, London.

Miss McCall said character references had been provided for Storey from members of the public, police support staff and retired officers.

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