Charles Donnelly raped a woman and abused a boy and girl

Charles Donnelly, 70, repeatedly raped a younger woman and subjected a boy and girl to appalling sex crimes at addresses in Dunfermline and West Fife.

A judge at the High Court in Edinburgh told the pensioner: "Your offending has caused lasting harm to your victims."

Lady Carmichael ordered that Donnelly should be monitored in the community for a further five year period following his jail term.

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During that time the rapist will be under licence and can be returned to prison if he breaches its conditions.

Donnelly was sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh. (Image: Newsquest)

Donnelly, whose address was given as HMP Edinburgh, was previously jailed for seven years in 2015 for sex offences and after his release he was recalled to prison for breaching his licence by being in the company of a child.

He was due to stand trial at the high court earlier this year, to answer a series of further charges, when he pleaded guilty to four offences.

The first involved the repeated rape of a younger woman between January 1977 and September 1981 at addresses in an unnamed Fife village.

The victim said Donnelly was "helping himself to sex" despite her telling him "no".

She made it clear to him that she did not want sex but he ignored her and repeatedly assaulted and raped her, the court heard.

His second victim was a young boy who Donnelly spanked before committing a serious indecent assault on the child at a house in Dunfermline, on an occasion between September 1976 and September 1979.

He told the boy when he was aged six that he was bad and pulled down his lower clothing before hitting him on the buttocks and then carrying out a sex attack on him.

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His third victim was a girl who was subjected to prolonged abuse from the age of five at addresses in a nearby village beginning in 1983.

Donnelly told his young victim not to tell anyone as she would get into trouble if she did.

He molested the child and carried out sex acts on himself in her presence. He admitted two offences of indecent behaviour towards the girl committed between 1983 and 1992.

Detective Constable Karen Nairn, from Police Scotland, said: “This was a complex and disturbing case and it is right that Donnelly now has to face the consequences of his disgraceful actions.

"My thoughts remain with the victims and their families. This conviction is a direct result of them coming forward.

"They have shown immense courage in reporting these crimes so that Donnelly has now been held accountable for his actions. I hope that his conviction gives them some comfort and they can try and move forward with their lives.

“Police Scotland is wholly committed to tackling all cases of child abuse, regardless of when the crimes occurred, and we will continue to work alongside our partners to support any victims and ensure offenders are brought to justice.”

Defence counsel Michael Anderson KC said that Donnelly, who was held in prison awaiting his trial, has had "significant difficulties of his own throughout his life".

He said that the sex offender's previous experience of custody following his sentencing in 2015 proved difficult for him.

He said that his client has not offended since 1994.

At his sentencing, Donnelly was told by a video link to prison that he will be on the sex offenders' register indefinitely.