A man who groomed children more than two decades ago has finally been brought to justice.
Norman Phimister, 69, targeted two girls when they were aged between nine and 11 from 1999 to 2002.
A trial last month heard from both victims, who described how Phimister began his campaign of abuse by walking around in their presence wearing an unfastened dressing gown with no clothes underneath.
In evidence led by fiscal depute Pauline Gair, they detailed how he later touched them inappropriately and made them touch his private parts.
Abuser exposed himself
One told the court: “He did use to wear his dressing gown a lot and never had anything on underneath it.
“I could see everything.
“I always thought it was strange.”
She explained that the abuse then escalated with Phimister touching her over and under her clothes and making her touch him intimately.
The court heard how she thought Phimister was a “kind man” but detailed how he pretended to be playing with her as he abused her.
‘I was a child, I trusted him’
Under cross-examination, she told defence solicitor Mike Chapman: “I was a child, I trusted him.”
The court heard that in the years following the abuse one complainer fell into a pattern of destructive behaviours.
She told the jury: “I didn’t know how to cope with the feelings.”
Phimister, of Craigrory, North Kessock, denied two charges of lewd, indecent and libidinous practices and behaviour at Inverness Sheriff Court.
The jury took around an hour and a half to return unanimous guilty verdicts on both charges.
A victim impact statement from one of the complainers was lodged with the court.
Phimister returned to Inverness Sheriff Court this week for sentencing and his solicitor Mike Chapman said that he continues to deny the crimes.
He said: “Mr Phimister maintains his innocence. He accepts that he must accept the consequences of this conviction.”
Sheriff Eilidh MacDonald told him: “As you are still maintaining your innocence that means that no work can be done with you for rehabilitation.”
She said that his crimes had displayed “some planning” and “grooming behaviour” and represented “a breach of trust.”
Acknowledging that the sentence could “not compensate for the psychological effect on the victims” she jailed Phimister for 18 months and placed him on the sex offenders register for 10 years.
