George Thomson: child abuser who assaulted girls, aged 7, is jailed

George Thomson, 71, began abusing the two youngsters when they were both just seven years old at his former home in Musselburgh.

Thomson enticed the children into his bedroom to play computer games before making them sit on his lap and touch them intimately.

The pensioner groped the vulnerable girls’ breasts, bottoms and private areas during shocking numerous attacks that took place between 2008 and 2016.

Thomson, of Hyvots, Edinburgh, denied three charges but was found guilty by a jury following a trial at the capital’s sheriff court in September.

One victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, told the court Thomson touched her intimately when she was left alone with him at his home.

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The youngster said she was left “confused” by the sex attacks and only managed to find the courage to confide in her mother years later.

She said she would spend time at Thomson’s home, starting when she was around seven years old, and while her parents were at work.

She told the jury the OAP would invite her into his bedroom and lock the door behind them while she played computer games and watched Disney and Harry Potter movies on his laptop.

The girl described Thomson's bedroom as being “very dark” as the blinds were always down and the windows never open.

The child said the abuse started when she was just seven years old when she would sit on Thomson’s lap to play on his computer.

She described how the pensioner touched her over her clothing and said he would regularly “fiddle around with my nipples” while in his room.

The court was told he also moved the child onto his bed where he touched her and took his erect penis out and rubbed it against her.

The victim said the abusive incidents could last up to 30 minutes and took place while Thomson’s wife was in the next room.

She said she was left “scared” and “belittled” by the attacks and said the pensioner refused to allow her to leave the room on several occasions.

The jury heard as the victim got older she began to feel “unsafe” in the house and made excuses to her parents not to visit his home.

Following three days of evidence, the jury took two hours to return majority guilty verdicts on all three charges.

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Sheriff Ian Anderson deferred sentence on Thomson for background reports to be prepared and he was released on bail.

Thomson returned to the dock at the city’s sheriff court on Friday where Sheriff Anderson jailed him for a total of 42 months and placed him on the sex offenders' register for an indefinite period.

Thomson was found guilty of using lewd, libidinous and indecent practices towards one child between December 29, 2008 and November 30, 2010.

He was also found guilty of sexually assaulting two children between December 1, 2010 and June 3, 2016, all at a property in Musselburgh.