A detective has welcomed the conviction of a vile predator whose 'deplorable' actions included raping a child.

Malcolm Lamont, 34, exposed two girls to pornography at a young age and went on to sexually abuse them for seven years at an address in Motherwell. 

After denying the charges at an earlier trial, he was convicted of six offences and jailed for seven years at the High Court in Edinburgh on Tuesday, May 21.

Glasgow Times:

His offences, including the rape and sexual assault of young girls, took place between 2008 and 2014.

Detective Sergeant Kevin Sherry of the Lanarkshire Child Abuse Investigation Unit has now spoken out on the sentencing of Lamont, who he says will 'rightly' face justice. 

He said: “Lamont is a predator who will now rightly face the consequences of his deplorable actions.

“He showed utter disregard for the impact his crimes would have on his victims and I want to commend them for reporting these offences to us.

"I hope they can take some comfort in knowing Lamont is now being held to account for his actions.

“Police Scotland is committed to bringing the perpetrators of sexual abuse to justice, regardless of the passage of time, and we will continue to work closely with our partners to ensure victims are provided with all the relevant assistance they may require."

Lamont showed pornographic content to a child who was aged between six and eight between March 2008 and May 2010.

He carried out similar behaviour when the girl was aged 12 between March 2014 and March 2015 and his offending escalated into touching the girl, sexually penetrating her and raping her.

He was also found guilty of indecency towards a second girl after showing her pornography on his phone and a TV when she was aged between two and four between March 2008 and May 2010.

He carried out similar abusive behaviour towards her when she was aged between seven and nine, and then went on to sexually assault the child by touching, rubbing and digitally penetrating her.

Lamont was placed on the sex offenders' register indefinitely following his sentencing.

A judge told him at the High Court in Edinburgh on Tuesday: "These sexual offences are of considerable gravity."