Man who subjected girls to prolonged period of sexual abuse is jailed.

A man who subjected two young girls to a prolonged period of sexual abuse has been jailed.

At Edinburgh Sheriff Court yesterday,  Raymond Greenlees was sentenced to three and a half years in prison for three charges of lewd and libidinous offences between 1969 and 1980.

The crimes took place at addresses in Edinburgh and Paisley while the victims were aged between 2 and 15.

After one of the victims came forward to report the abuse in 2013 Police Scotland’s Public Protection Unit in Edinburgh launched a thorough investigation into Greenlees, resulting in the second victim making contact to report similar offences.

The 59-year-old pleaded guilty last month.

Detective Constable Elaine McKenna from Edinburgh’s Public Protection Unit said: “For over forty decades the crimes committed by Greenlees went unpunished until both women came forward to report the abuse they had been subjected to.

“I would like to thank the victims for their outstanding courage and assistance to police during our investigation. They can now take comfort in knowing that their abuser will spend a significant number of years in prison.

“Police Scotland is committed to investigating any and all reports of sexual assault, regardless of when the crimes occurred and I would strongly urge victims who have not yet reported crimes against them to police, to do so immediately so we can bring the perpetrators to justice.”