An Aberdeen dad who went to prison for raping his daughter has again been jailed for another rape that she later recalled as being her “first memory as a child”.
Duncan Houston – a “predatory, opportunistic and sexually abusive” father was found guilty following a trial at the High Court in Aberdeen.
He preyed on his now-33-year-old daughter Nikki, who waived her right to anonymity, between 1994 and 2002 – at one stage when she was just four years old.
After less than an hour of deliberations, a jury last month convicted Houston, 59, and on Wednesday he shouted, “There’s no justice,” when told he’d serve another four years in custody.
Although Nikki had previously welcomed the jury’s unanimous verdict, today the rape survivor told The Press and Journal that she felt “angry” with the sentence.
Rape survivor Nikki’s ‘anger’ at Aberdeen dad’s ‘wrong’ sentence
“The justice system is absolutely disgusting,” Nikki said, adding: “Something needs to be done about it because it’s all wrong.
“He loses four years of his life for the 30 years he stole from mine. How does the court think that makes me feel?
“This ordeal is never going to be over for me. My mental health, my physical health, my entire life have been affected by him and this four-year sentence won’t fix that.
“His life is not over like it was supposed to be.”
It was then revealed to jurors that Houston had already served eight years behind bars for raping Nikki during a Hogmanay party at their Aberdeen home in 2000.
He was convicted of rape and indecency two years later.
Earlier on Wednesday, Falklands War veteran Houston, of Great Northern Road, Aberdeen, appeared at the High Court in Edinburgh to receive his latest punishment.
Duncan Houston’s lawyer told Aberdeen court ex-serviceman client was traumatised and ‘drinking heavily’
Defence advocate Frances Connor, who represented Houston, told the judge that her client had been psychologically traumatised by his military service.
He was “drinking heavily” at the time of his disgusting crimes, Ms Connor explained.
“He advises me that he witnessed events whilst serving in the Falklands which haunted his nightmares for decades thereafter.
Ms Connor also told the court that Houston had complied with the conditions attached to his prior release from prison.
“He has no intention or desire to be near or around children,” she added.
‘Remorseless’ Aberdeen dad Duncan Houston told he must be punished
However, Lady Drummond jailed Houston for another four years.
She told the disgraced dad: “The implications on the victim appear to have been wide-ranging and life-changing and you gave no thought to the wide-ranging and significant impact that the offending has had on her life.
“You subjected her to significant harm to fulfill your own needs. You continue to deny responsibility and you have expressed no remorse for your actions.
“The only appropriate sentence in this case is a custodial one and the purpose of the sentence is to punish you and to mark society’s abhorrence of such crimes.”
During the latest trial, Nikki gave evidence and told jurors about the first time her father raped her when they were left alone at a house in the Mastrick area of Aberdeen in 1994.
When asked what she could remember of that night, Ms Houston replied that she recalled the smell of “cigarettes, stale lager and Old Spice” aftershave on her dad’s body.
Nikki described the 1994 rape as her “first memory as a child”.
Aberdeen dad’s own daughter forced to give evidence against him in rape trial
Then Ms Houston went on to outline another occasion where she was raped by her father as they watched the film Buffy The Vampire Slayer, when she was around eight or nine at a house in Northfield.
It was stated that he made a bed for them on the ground in front of the television before once again climbing on top of her and sexually assaulting her.
She said that Houston would stroke her hand and that was a signal she would “be hurt again that night”.
Asked by the prosecutor, advocate depute John McElroy KC, how many sexual incidents took place, she answered that it was “too many to count”.
Mr McElroy then asked: “How did all this make you feel?”
And Nikki said: “I’m ashamed to admit it but because I was a child and because it had gone on for so long I thought it was normal”.
Reacting to the verdict – Ms Houston waived her right to lifelong anonymity in order to bravely tell her story and raise awareness to encourage other rape survivors to seek justice.
Speaking publicly for the first time, Nikki told The P&J that the jury’s decision had given her some “closure”.
The mum-of-four added: “This is so important. It’s not just a win for me. This was for every other victim out there”.
However, Nikki also revealed feeling that she had “died at the age of four”.
‘I died at the age of four’: Aberdeen child rape survivor speaks out as dad found guilty
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