A Peckham paedophile, who ‘sexually abused two children, including one while on weekend leave from prison’ was jailed for nineteen years yesterday.
Fifty-three-year-old Roy McKechnie, of Goldsmith Road, Peckham appeared at Croydon Crown Court yesterday (Friday, 29 March) and was sentenced after being convicted in February of sexually abusing two children in the 1990s and 2000s.
He was found guilty of three counts of rape; eight counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child and one count of indecent assault. The offences related to two girls who were under the age of sixteen at the time.
The court heard how McKechnie’s offending came to light in October 2016 when a woman, then aged in her 30s, came forward to report abuse she had suffered in January 1992 when she was aged in her early teens.
She told officers that McKechnie – who was known to the girl – had sexually assaulted her at a house in Sydenham.
As officers began to investigate the incident, a further woman came forward in December 2016. The woman, aged in her 20s but in her early teens at the time of the abuse, alleged McKechnie – who was known to her family – had raped and sexually assaulted her on numerous occasions between 2003 and 2004.
McKechnie was arrested and initially tried to claim he was in prison at the time of the alleged incident in Sydenham. However, checks revealed that he had been granted leave that weekend.
Although still in denial, McKechnie was charged with multiple offences.
Detective Contable Tony Roper from the Child Abuse and Sexual Offences Command led the investigation. He said: “McKechnie’s offending appears to have been both opportunistic and predatory but has had an equally devastating impact on the lives of two young women.
“However, after a number of years he has finally been made to face to consequences of his actions and will now spend a significant amount of time in prison.
“I would like to thank the two women for having the courage to report their ordeals to police and I hope McKechnie’s conviction will finally allow them to move on with their lives.”