Rapist Kevin Kenny attacked underage girl under pretence of playing Xbox in Dumfriesshire

A rapist who sexually assaulted an underage girl years after he was initially investigated for child abuse has been jailed for more than eight years.

Kevin Kenny used a pretence of playing a computer games console to spend time with the rape victim, who he first sexually assaulted when she was aged 13.

Kenny, 39, formerly of Bruce Street, Annan, in Dumfriesshire, carried out sex acts on the child victim after starting to abuse her in October 2018.

Prosecutor John McElroy KC said: “Kenny would use the pretence of playing Xbox with the girl to avoid suspicion of being with her.”

But in January 2020 the victim became upset while she was with friends and revealed what had happened to her.

“This conversation was recorded on a phone without the knowledge of the girl,” said the advocate depute, adding that police were then alerted.

Kenny earlier admitted sexually assaulting and raping the girl at addresses in Dumfriesshire between October 2018 and January 2020.

He also admitted indecently touching a four-year-old girl between August 2000 and April the following year at a house in Dumfriesshire and a further sexual offence in 2018, involving a young boy.

Defence counsel Wendy Culross told the High Court in Edinburgh that Kenny had been assessed as posing a medium or moderate level of risk.

She said: “He understands he has pled guilty to very serious offences and that there is an inevitable consequence for that.”

She told the court: “He has been constantly in employment for most of his life until diagnosed with depression around 2017.” She added that he continued to have “significant mental health issues”.

“It is clear that in the community he was something of an isolated individual,” said Ms Culross.

She said there were “rumours that followed him around” following the earlier offending.

A judge jailed Kenny for eight years and two months for the sex offences and ordered he be under supervision for a further two-year period.

Lord Stuart told him that if he failed to comply with licence conditions during the latter period it may be revoked and he could be returned to prison.

The judge told him that following his sentencing he would be placed on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.