A SERIAL offender who was found guilty of a string of historical attacks against children - including in the Loch Lomond area - has been given an Order for Lifelong Restriction (OLR) at the High Court in Edinburgh.

John Bermingham, from Edinburgh, was told he must serve a minimum punishment term of four years before he can be considered for parole.

Following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh in May, the 54-year-old was convicted of five charges including lewd, indecent and libidinous practices against three children and assault to injury against a woman.

The offences took place between 1999 and 2001 at addresses in Edinburgh and Loch Lomond.

His youngest victim was eight-years-old.

Procurator fiscal for High Court sexual offences, Fraser Gibson, said: “John Bermingham’s crimes have had a profound impact on the lives of his victims.

"I hope the sentence imposed today will go some way towards helping them come to terms with what has happened.

“This complex investigation demonstrates our commitment to prosecuting sexual offences, whenever they occurred.

“I would encourage any victims of sexual crimes to come forward and report them in the confidence they will be treated with professionalism and sensitivity by the police and our expert prosecutors.”

An OLR is a sentence of imprisonment which can be imposed on people convicted of serious violent or sexual offences, other than murder, at the High Court.

The judge must set a ‘punishment part’ of the OLR which is the minimum time the offender must spend in prison before being considered by the parole board for release into the community.

If offenders are considered to be safe to serve the rest of their sentence in the community, once they are released they will remain under the intensive supervision of a criminal justice social worker. If the person commits another crime, they can be sent back to prison.