Brian Stobie 70

Description

A rapist who abused four young girls has been jailed for 12 years and nine months after being confronted by vigilantes at his home.

Brian Stobie, 70, was convicted of offenses against the girls—one under 16 and three under 12—in Edinburgh between 1990 and 2007.

The former bus driver was caught in a 2022 vigilante sting while attempting to contact underage girls online, but he communicated with adults instead.

At the High Court in Edinburgh, Judge Alison Stirling sentenced Stobie for the "serious nature of your offending."

Stobie, of Duke Street in Leith, denied eight charges of abuse but was convicted after testimony revealed he made victims sit on his knee, molested them during flat visits, exposed himself, and raped one.

Prosecutor Martin Crawford said: "These were experiences that happened when they were children, in circumstances which were outwith their control."

The court heard one victim struggles with trust, intimate relationships, and avoids the abuser's area.

Defense counsel Andrew Crosbie noted Stobie was targeted in an online "sting" for seeking naked pictures from young girls, leading to a live-streamed confrontation at his home in August 2022.

Stobie admitted four charges of attempting indecent communication with underage girls.

Mr. Crosbie said: "He accepts that he has been convicted of offences of real gravity."

Stobie was placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely and given a non-harassment order barring contact with his victims.