Children's home rapist jailed thanks to victim's evidence from beyond the grave

A man who groomed, assaulted and raped two vulnerable girls while working at a children's home has been jailed for eight years.

Alexander Boyd, also known as Sandy, preyed on the two girls while working as a social care officer at a residential unit for looked-after children in the town of Oban, in Argyll and Bute. The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said the 56-year-old manipulated both victims under the guise of friendship.

One of Boyd's victims died before his trial took place, but her handwritten statement and recorded police interview helped to deliver justice. In November, Boyd was found guilty of four charges following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

He was convicted of two counts of assault and rape and two counts of indecent behaviour towards girls aged between 12 and 16. Prosecutors presented evidence from Boyd's former colleagues, which detailed their concerns about his behaviour.

The staff accounts, supported by historical personnel and social work records, explained how he repeatedly failed to impose and respect appropriate boundaries. This included him buying mobile phone top-up cards so he could maintain contact with one child and driving them both around in his vehicle.

Abuse stretched over three-year period COPFS said Boyd went on to sexually abuse and rape both girls on various occasions between 1999 and 2001. He was arrested and charged in November 2022.

In a statement issued via COPFS to others impacted by sexual abuse, the surviving victim said: "We should never carry the shame of what others have done to us, that shame belongs only to them. "Our voices are our power, and silence is the only power they ever had." Jailed for eight years Boyd was handed a 10-year extended sentence on Wednesday, with eight years in jail and two years on licence after.

His name was added to the sex offenders register indefinitely, with a non-harassment order also granted. Read more from Sky News:School bus crashes after slipping on black iceMan who sold chemical jailed for assisting suicide Faye Cook, procurator fiscal for high court sexual offences, said: "Alexander Boyd exploited a position of trust to systematically groom and sexually abuse vulnerable girls, who should have been safe under his care at the residential unit.

"Boyd will now face the consequences of his actions, which I hope brings some comfort to all those affected by his criminal behaviour.".