Paedophile pensioner admits years of child abuse

Thomas Hutton pled guilty at Dundee Sheriff Court. Picture: PA

Thomas Hutton, 78, sat in the dock at Dundee Sheriff Court yesterday where he admitted  12 separate charges.

The court heard details of his sexual abuse of five girls and boys over the course of almost ten years.

The abuse began in 2005 and was only stopped in August of last year when his first victim came forward.

Hutton was caught after one of the girls he targeted became upset when she was told she would be seeing him, and told her parents of the abuse she had suffered.

That led to the other four victims coming forward before Hutton confessed.

Fiscal depute Nicola Gillespie told Dundee Sheriff Court that the abuse began in 2005 against a girl aged just six.

Hutton showed the girl a film that contained scenes of a sexual nature before having her carry out a sex act on him.

The abuse of that girl lasted six years, with Hutton carrying out a series of attacks.

In other incidents Hutton carried out sex acts on himself in her presence as well as exposing himself to her.

Around the same time Hutton targeted another young girl, this time aged 11, and again had her carry out sex acts on him.

The serial attacker then moved on to another girl, this time aged seven when the abuse started, and made her strip off for him before carrying out a series of sex acts on her over the course of almost two years.

He later carried out sex attacks on one of his victims in front of another girl.

That girl, who was also aged seven, was also one of his victims and was targeted over the course of three and a half years.

Then, in 2014, Hutton turned his attention on a 12-year-old boy.

Between March and August that year Hutton exposed himself to the boy and had the youngster carry out sex acts on him.

He then carried out sex acts on the child.

Hutton, of Park Road, Dundee, pleaded guilty on indictment to a total of 12 charges.

They included three of using lewd, indecent and libidinous practices and behaviour, four of sexual assault and five under the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act.

Defence solicitor George Donnelly said that he would give his plea in mitigation on behalf of Hutton at a later sentencing date.

Sheriff Lorna Drummond QC deferred sentence until October for social work background reports and placed Hutton on the sex offenders’ register in the meantime.

He was released on bail ahead of sentencing.