Paedophile who spiked baby's bottle with vodka before abuse jailed

A paedophile who spiked a baby’s bottle with vodka before abusing her has been jailed for 12 years.

Ian Whyte, 62, sexually abused six children over the course of two decades in Edinburgh.

A judge told Whyte: “You have a bad record for violence and sexual crimes. You have now been convicted by the jury of a catalogue of serious sexual offences against children.”

Judge Thomas Welsh KC said: “You targeted and abused vulnerable children and teenagers. Your conduct was evil, calculating and pernicious.”

“You have stated that the complainers were lying and conspired against you for financial reasons. You have, in short, shown no remorse or empathy for the terrible harm you have caused,” he said.

The judge said he had read “detailed and devastating” victim impact statements provided to the court. He said that from reading a background report on Whyte it was obvious that he has no insight into the “deep and lasting harm” he has caused.

He ordered that Whyte should be under supervision in the community for a further three years when he will be on licence and can be returned to prison if he breaches it.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard that the predator raped two girls and attempted to rape two others during his catalogue of offending between December 1978 and May 1998.

The baby girl was one of Whyte’s first victims, whom he targeted at an address in Wester Hailes between September 1982 and September 1983.

He put alcohol in her feed bottle before she drank the milk, then carried out his abuse of the girl when she was under the age of one.

Whyte, formerly of the Broughton area of Edinburgh, first struck when he was a teenager and subjected a much younger boy to sexual abuse on two occasions between December 1978 and December 1982.

He exposed himself to the child and carried out a penetrative sex act on the boy, who could have been as young as four at the time.

The predator went on to rape a girl when she was aged nine or ten on an occasion between September 1982 and September 1983, when he again exposed himself and before subjecting her to a sex attack.

Whyte attacked another girl when she was aged 11 or 12 between September 1982 and September the following year when he seized her, exposed himself and repeatedly tried to rape her.

He also indecently assaulted the victim when he lifted her up, put her on a bed and kissed the child.

Whyte attempted to rape another girl, when she was aged 13 or 14, in the Wester Hailes area after he gave her solvents to abuse. He carried out the sexual assault on the teenager when she was intoxicated and hit her face.

Another girl was subjected to abuse by him from the age of six in November 1995 and he went on to repeatedly assault and rape the child.

Whyte, who attended court in a wheelchair, had denied a series of charges during his earlier trial and claimed he was innocent, but was convicted of nine offences.

He was asked about the evidence given by complainers and replied: “It’s lies. It’s all lies.”

Advocate depute Ruaraidh Ferguson told jurors that Whyte had been confronted by people concerned about his behaviour and responded: “So what?”

The prosecutor said he was “a serial abuser of children” and pointed out he was observed putting vodka in the baby’s bottle.

Defence counsel Scot Dignan said Whyte continued to deny the offending, but indicated that he respected the decision of the jury.

He said: “For the past 14 years, he has lived peaceably in the community.”

He said Whyte has physical health problems and added: “He has concerns that the prison estate is ill-equipped to support his disability.”

The judge previously issued non-harassment orders prohibiting Whyte from contacting or attempting to contact victims. Whyte was placed on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.