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Highland Life / News / Highland Council News / 12 year sentence for man convicted of sexual offences

12 year sentence for man convicted of sexual offences

Issued: 21 Sep 2024

Northern Constabulary welcomes the 12 year sentence given to William Burns at the High Court in Edinburgh, who was convicted of serious sexual offences against young people.

Inspector Pamela Ross of the Public Protection Unit in Dingwall, said: “These offences initially came to police attention following the courage of a young victim who reported sexual abuse by William Burns. As a result, a full investigation took place and a number of further victims were traced and interviewed and William Burns and his nephew Donald Burns were reported to the Procurator Fiscal at Dingwall. A number of further victims contacted police to report similar abuse when they became aware of the ongoing investigation.

“In all allegations of sexual offences the police will conduct an extremely thorough investigation. This case, and other recent convictions, displays our commitment to tackling these very serious offences, working closely with the Crown and other agencies. These were despicable crimes committed against a number of girls and young women over a considerable number of years.

“As a result of the tremendous courage shown by these victims, the men responsible have been removed from society and the public are protected from further abuse by them. I hope that this will give confidence to any victims who have been affected by similar experiences to come forward and know that their case will be sensitively and thoroughly investigated.

I also wish to commend the staff involved in this investigation, which was carried out over a number of months. They often require to deal with very difficult circumstances involving the abuse of children and adults and their professionalism and commitment to this investigation has helped bring this case to a successful conclusion.

“Current procedures ensure that information is shared with partner agencies to identify and protect at risk children. However, I want to stress that it is everyone’s responsibility to protect our children and young people. If you have any concerns then you should speak to police, social worker, a health professional or a teacher - or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”

© 2024 Highland Public Services Partnership.
Project part-financed by the European Union (European Regional Development Fund) within the INTERREG IIIB Northern Periphery Programme