Former Clydebank custody officer convicted of grooming and abusing three children

A FORMER children's home volunteer has been convicted of grooming and sexually abusing three children in care more than 30 years ago.

Joe Duffy, 60, from Glasgow, who has been a civilian custody officer with Police Scotland for 20 years, was found guilty of raping two young sisters and and sexually abusing a young boy at a Glasgow home run by nuns in the 1980s.

Duffy, who worked as a turnkey at Clydebank police office, described the allegations as "mind-boggling and incredible", but a jury took lest than two hours to convict him of the vile offences.

Duffy claimed that nothing ever happened and that his victims went to the police simply to obtain compensation.

The jury heard that during his time as a volunteer at the children's home, Duffy would drive a minibus and take the children to the swimming pool and on outings to Loch Lomond and other places.

He would also stay at the home on Friday nights and sleep over.

One of Duffy's victim told of how he raped her at one of these sleepovers when she was 12 and he was 24 or 25.

She told the jury that this happened in the living room of the home while other children dozed nearby. The witness said that the nun in charge would go to her bed at 10pm and leave Duffy in charge of the children.

She was asked by prosecutor Steven Borthwick: “Did you want him to do that?”, and she replied: “No.”

Mr Borthwick then asked: “How did you feel?”, and the witness replied: “Ashamed and dirty.”

Afterwards Duffy pretended to be asleep.

Her sister told the court: “Joe abused me for many years. It moved from a safe relationship to something inappropriate. He began touching me when I was 13 or 14.”

She said that Duffy sexually abused her as they swam at Eastwood swimming pool and that he raped her at his home on the day she left the care home.

Duffy was supposed to drive her home to her family, but instead took her to his Glasgow home and raped her.

She was asked if she had wanted to have sex with him, and replied: “No.”

The woman said that afterwards Duffy just behaved "as normal”, as if nothing had happened.

The woman, now 48, added: “The nuns said I was infatuated with Joe. They just assumed I was a lovesick puppy. I was told by the nuns to sort myself out and stay away from him.”

The court heard that Duffy kept in touch with the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and in 1994 or 1995 they were briefly engaged.

A 46-year-old man told the court that Duffy abused him at the home. Duffy also took him from the care home on a number of weekends and sexually abused him.

He said: “Every night it got seriously worser and worser.”

The witness said that Duffy would strip naked, get into bed with him and sexually abuse him.

Mr Borthwick asked the witness: “Did you want him to do that?” and he replied: “No, I was only 11.”

The offences were committed in the 1980s.

Duffy was asked if he had groomed and abused vulnerable children while volunteering at the care home and he replied: “No. It never happened. The allegations are pretty much mind-boggling.”

He was cleared of sexually abusing two other boys at the care home.

When the allegations came to light Duffy was suspended from his job looking after prisoners in custody at Clydebank police station.

Duffy, who has no previous convictions, will be sentenced at the High Court in Aberdeen on March 16 by Lord Kinclaven.

He was remanded in custody and placed on the sex offenders' register.

As he was led away to the cells Duffy's family shouted to him: “We love you.”

In a statement, Detective Chief Superintendent Lesley Boal said: “The initial report against Duffy was made in the 1990s.

"However, it was not until Police Scotland reviewed legacy force child protection cases as part of its work to support the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry, that this initial report was linked to another report in a separate divisional area.

"This provided the necessary corroboration and led to a proactive investigation and more victims being identified.

“Investigating non-recent child sexual abuse cases is complex and extremely difficult for people who may have reported abuse previously.

"It is only through their bravery and their willingness to engage with us and speak about their experience that we have arrived at this day. I’d like to pay tribute to their bravery.

“Police Scotland is committed to investigating all reports of child abuse wherever and whenever they occurred.

“Child abuse, sexual or otherwise, is incredibly difficult for people to re-visit and talk about. We will listen and we will take action on all reports of child abuse regardless of where or when it occurred.”