Pervert who abused girl now faces life in prison

Mar 12 2009 by Our Correspondent, West Lothian Courier

A WEST Lothian school bus driver subjected a primary school pupil to two years of horrific sexual abuse after befriending her mother.

David Swan struck up a friendship with the nine-year-old girl then began a relationship with her mother to gain access to the child, a court was told this week.

He then began repeatedly raping and sexually abusing the child from when she was 10 years old until just before her 12th birthday, between 2003 and 2005.

At the High Court in Edinburgh last week Swan, 42, was told he could face a possible life sentence after admitting a catalogue of abuse towards the young girl.

He also admitted at the High Court to having “an unusually large and depraved” collection of pornographic photographs and videos of children being abused.

Prosecutors want Swan to be given an order for life-long restriction which would keep him in prison until the parole board decides he is no longer a risk to the community.

The High Court heard a number of other children had also alleged Swan had sexually abused them during the last 20 years.

Swan pled guilty at the High Court to one of seven sexual abuse charges involving four girls, who were aged between five and ten.

Judge Lord Menzies deferred sentencing until a risk assessment is carried out, and remanded Swan in custody until then.

Advocate depute Simon Collins, prosecuting, said the girl was nine-years-old when Swan began giving her lifts to and from primary school with other children in January 2003.

“It remains unclear to the Crown whether Swan was employed to transport children to and from school at this time, or whether he was doing it on an ad hoc basis of his own accord,” said Mr Collins.

He bought the girl sweets and a doll and invited her and her mother to dinner at his home in Armadale on her 10th birthday.

A month later, Swan plied the child with vodka and rum at his home before having sex with her while her mother was in the house downstairs.

Swan then regularly abused the girl for two years at his home in West Lothian and during holidays to a caravan near Ullapool, the High Court was told.

The High Court heard that Swan made her drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, use sexual language, watch pornographic films and undress in front of a young female friend.

The child was taken into social work care in July 2005.

Now aged 15, she suffers post traumatic stress disorder, flashbacks, low mood and has difficulty sleeping and the abuse has impacted her psychological and emotional development, said the prosecutor.

The High Court heard Swan grew up in care in West Lothian, then worked as a bus driver and security guard and moved home regularly, to Livingston, Forres and Huntly.

Swan, now of Nelson Place, Huntly, has now been placed on the sex offenders’ register.

He pled guilty to repeatedly raping, sexually assaulting and using lewd and libidinous behaviour towards the girl between 2003 and 2005.

He also admitted making and possessing 1256 pornographic photographs and videos of children between June 2002 and January 2007.

Swan was alleged to have repeatedly sexually assaulted a five-year-old girl at an address in Bathgate, between January 1989 and December 1993, until she was aged nine, but this charge was dropped.

He was also accused of raping a 10-year-old girl over an 18-month period which allegedly began on Christmas Day, 2004, but a not guilty plea was accepted.