Gerard Haggerty sentenced for serious sexual offences, Elgin

Police Scotland has welcomed the sentencing of a man who befriended a girl’s family in Elgin and then sexually abused her between 2018 and 2020.

Gerard Haggerty, 61, was sentenced to eight years imprisonment at the High Court in Glasgow today (Wednesday, 8 September, 2021). He had earlier pleaded guilty to rape and two charges of sexual activity with a child.

Detective Inspector Caroline Gray, of Police Scotland’s North East Public Protection Unit, said: “Gerard Haggerty first subjected this girl to sexual abuse when she was aged just 12 after getting to know her family in late 2017.

“He befriended them and they thought he was a genuine person. He seriously betrayed that friendship and abused her between December 2018 and the summer of 2020.

“It is thanks to her bravery throughout our investigation and the subsequent legal proceedings that he will now face the consequences of his appalling actions.

“Police Scotland would encourage anyone who has been the victim of abuse to come forward and report it. We will always thoroughly investigate in a sensitive and professional way.

“Anyone with information about sexual crime should come forward and speak to us by calling 101, or 999 in an emergency.”