A WEE COUNTY woman who endured years of sexual abuse more than four decades ago has made an appeal to other possible victims to come forward.

On 13 November, William Conlan (57) was found guilty of rape, two assault charges and two charges of lewd, indecent and libidinous practices against two young children.

The cases date back more than 40 years to between 1970 and 1974; however, they only came to light in May 2012 when a third party reported the crimes to police.

Following an investigation, officers arrested Conlan and he stood trial at the High Court in Perth earlier this month.

A jury found Conlan – of Tullibody – guilty by majority on all five charges and he is due to be sentenced next month.

One of his victims, who cannot be named due to legal reasons, has spoken with the Advertiser regarding the abuse she and her brother suffered as children.

She was between four and eight when the abuse was carried out, when her brother was also a child.

The victim told of how she had been initially unwilling to discuss her history with the authorities and reluctantly gave statements to the police after they contacted her.

But after seeing Conlan finally locked up, she is hoping that any other potential victims of Conlan will now contact the authorities and have their day in court.

She said: “I would urge anyone who has been a victim of him to come forward because justice can still be served.

“He thought he had gotten away with this, because it was so long ago but time is no barrier.

“And because he used violence to manipulate us and control us, he thought we would never ever do this.” The case first came to light more than two years ago when a third party reported the abuse of the woman’s brother, who also cannot be named, to the police.

And although she has been affected by her experiences, the victim insists the impact on her sibling has been far greater.

She said: “My brother’s life has been completely ruined by what he done. He has been destroyed by it all and had turned to drugs for five years.

“He’s no stranger to substance abuse and alcohol and he has been in and out of the courts.

“It’s because he can’t sustain a job, can’t sustain a relationship and can’t socialise.

“But, it should be said that, for all his troubles, he has been clean and off the drugs since this was reported.

“We’re glad of the outcome, in that he has been found guilty, but we are still very sad about it all.” Conlan is due to appear at the High Court in Edinburgh for sentencing on December 11.