A Fife man who raped an 11-year-old girl and tried to rape a three-year-old has been jailed for eight years.

David Leggatt, who claimed the internet corrupted him, had admitted sexually assaulting the girls between May 2006 and November 2007 in Fife.

Leggatt, 59, from Dunfermline, also pleaded guilty to possessing almost 120,000 indecent photographs and videos of young girls.

He will also be monitored for three years after his release from jail.

Judge Lord Bracadale told Leggatt, a former foster carer, that he would have been jailed for 12 years if he had not admitted the charges.

The court heard that when Leggatt was interviewed by police, he claimed to have been “corrupted” by the internet.

‘Horrific crimes’

Leggatt’s solicitor advocate Gordon Martin told the court: “He deeply regrets his conduct.

“His regret is not just for the consequences for himself, but for the effect it had on his victims.”

As Leggatt was led away to begin his sentence, a relative of one of his victims shouted “scum” at him.

Det Sgt Kathryn Horne of Fife Constabulary said Leggatt committed “a catalogue of horrific crimes against extremely vulnerable children.

“We are determined to identify people like him and we will continue to pro-actively bring them to justice.”

– BBC News