John Wilson, 81, of Midlothian, was found guilty of groping and harassing two schoolgirls as well as sexually assaulting three teenage boys.

A further two victims were adults when they were attacked by Wilson while visiting his house. He raped one vulnerable man while his victim was asleep. Wilson was convicted of charges covering six decades, from 1963 until 2019.

At the High Court in Glasgow today, he was jailed for 12 years and nine months.

He was also given a three-year extended sentence during which he will be closely supervised and his name was added to the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Scotland’s procurator fiscal for High Court Sexual Offences, Fraser Gibson, welcomed today’s sentence.

Mr Gibson said: “John Wilson’s abuse of vulnerable victims was abhorrent. He preyed on individuals who were vulnerable because they were much younger and because they had been plied with alcohol or drugs.

“His victims have shown great courage and resilience in holding this man accountable for his crimes. Today’s sentence should provide reassurance that the passage of time is no barrier to justice, and we would urge all victims of similar offending to come forward.

“The prosecutors at COPFS will rigorously pursue all reports they receive, no matter how long ago the offending occurred.”