‘Monstrous man’ jailed for historic child sex offences committed in Rotherham

William Abrahams was found guilty of six counts of indecency with a child, three counts of rape and five counts of sexual assault, and jailed for 20 years.

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The three victims were all aged under 13 at the time. The offences were committed in the Swinton area of Rotherham between the early 1980s and 2016.

The 71-year-old, of Kirkcaldy, Scotland, was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court yesterday after a two-week trial in which a judge described him as a ‘monstrous man’ who had shown ‘the worst betrayal of trust one can think of.’

An investigation into Abrahams was launched in 2016, when one of the victims made disclosures to a schools officer, who in turn notified police.

Detective Constable Scott Walker, who led the investigation, praised the victims’ bravery for coming forward and speaking out.

Outside of court, he said: “After one of the victims spoke to police about what happened, she said she felt stronger for telling someone.

“All three of the victims in this case have shown immense courage in coming forward and seeing the case through the court process.

“Following the initial disclosure in 2016, we began to gather evidence and further allegations against Abrahams came to light from other victims.

“We were then able to bring him in for interview and eventually charge him.”

He added: “He was in a position of trust with each young victim in this case, which he blatantly betrayed, taking the opportunity to commit these terrible crimes, with the hope that they would never come forward to report them.

“However, he has significantly underestimated their bravery in not only reporting what happened, but giving evidence during the trial.

“For this, they should be commended and I only hope that knowing he has been jailed for what may well be the rest of his life can provide some closure to their ordeal.

“I’m pleased he is now behind bars for such a significant length of time and I hope that this sends out a clear message to victims that they will be listened to. We’re here to help and to ensure you get justice.”