News / 13 years for sexual abuse
FORMER Shetland resident Chris Readings was jailed for 13 years at the High Court in Edinburgh after being found guilty of sexually abusing a young boy and girl in the islands.
The 44 year old, who left Shetland for Oxfordshire last year, was found guilty of six charges of abuse in various parts of the isles between May 2008 and January last year.
The offences included sodomy, attempted rape, making the 12 year old girl and 13 year old boy give him oral sex and perform sex acts on each other.
In court on Friday defence QC Bill Taylor said that Readings still denied the allegations and produced several character references.
These included a scrap book of photos and newspaper cuttings about his work helping female victims of sexual and other attacks, a reference from a former “line manager” in the ambulance service describing him as a diligent worker and a letter from a senior police Northampton officer praising him for risking his life by stopping at an accident on the M1 and tackling a blazing vehicle before emergency services arrived on the scene.
Readings had been involved in the attempt to set up an independent ambulance service in Shetland in recent years.
Judge Lord Brodie told Readings: “Sexual abuse is cruel, it is selfish, it is damaging and in my view it falls to the courts to impose what is, frankly, a punitive sentence.”
The judge also made an order extending his licence conditions for three years and added Readings’ name to the sex offenders register.
Northern Constabulary’s Det Ch Insp Kenny Anderson said: “This was a serious child abuse case which has involved a number of agencies working together and resulted in inquiries being conducted throughout the United Kingdom.
“I also wish to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the young victims who, despite suffering what can only be described as prolonged and sustained abuse, have shown immense courage.
“Although Readings was presented with compelling evidence of his guilt, he continued to deny his crimes and chose to put his victims through the further ordeal of having to relive their abuse to give evidence in court.”
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