A 34-year-old man has been jailed for multiple violent offences against women and girls.
John McKechnie was sentenced to a total of 8 years at the Sheriff Court in Edinburgh on Thursday, 27 June, 2024. His sentencing includes two years already served in prison.
The offences included rape, domestic offending, and possession of incident images of children.
His offending took place between 2015 and 2022 and took place in the West Lothian area.
He had previously been convicted of the offences following a trial on Wednesday, 22 May, 2024.
Detective Inspector Adrian Ure, National Child Abuse Investigation Unit, said: “John McKechnie is a violent and predatory individual who will now face the consequences of his despicable actions.
“I commend the strength of the victims for coming forward and hope the sentence will bring some comfort as they try to move forward.
“Sexual abuse of any kind has no place in our society and any reports made to Police Scotland will be robustly investigated.
“We encourage anyone with concerns about a child at risk of abuse, or a potential victim, to contact police immediately.”
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
