A man has been convicted of raping a three-year-old at a centre at Inverness-shire nursery.
Mark Maclennan, 30, raped the three-year-old boy between August 2012 and May 2013.
He was also found guilty of sexually abusing a girl at drama rehearsals held in Stirling and Dunfermline and at her home in Dunblane between October 2007 and July 2010 when she was aged between 12 and 15 and he was acting as a chaperone for the theatre company.
Maclennan was cleared of a charge of sexually abusing a girl at the nursery when she was aged between four and five. The jury found that charge against him not proven.
He was also found guilty of having thousands of images of child porn on the computer he brought into a nursery to help the children with their IT skills and a further four on the laptop at his then home in Stirling.
Judge John Morris QC told Maclennan: “Given what you have been convicted of a prison sentence is almost inevitable.”
Judge Morris remanded Maclennan in custody and deferred sentence until February 27 at the High court in Edinburgh for background reports.
The jury of nine women and six men took 90 minutes to reach their verdicts.
Afterwards judge Morris told them: “This has been a very unpleasant case for all those involved.”
The inquiry into Maclennan was sparked after the three-year-old told his mother in graphic terms that he had been raped by him.
The little boy also told his father what had happened and the police were contacted.
Under cross-examination by defence QC Donald Findlay the mother and father denied a suggestion that their son could have seen them having oral sex or could have watched pornography.
As a result of the boy’s remarks an investigation was launched and Maclennan was suspended.
The three-old’s parents and friends cried and hugged as the verdict was given.
Maclennan, who has been working in Bath as a carer, showed no emotion.
