In 2019, the Offender Database reported that Roy McKechnie, then 53, of Goldsmith Road, Peckham, London, was sentenced to 19 years in prison at Croydon Crown Court. McKechnie was found guilty of 12 vile sexual offences committed during the 1990s and 2000s, including three counts of rape of a child under the age of 16. During the trial, Roy McKechnie maintained a deplorable insistence on his innocence, even attempting to use his own criminal history as an alibi by claiming he was in prison at the time of one of the attacks.
The investigation proved that Roy McKechnie was a calculated predator who even exploited his weekend leave from prison to commit further horrific abuse. The court heard how he attacked his first victim at a house in Sydenham, London, in January 1992, while he was granted temporary release. This victim, now a woman in her 30s, bravely came forward in late 2016 to report the vile treatment she suffered as a young teenager. Her courage inspired a second victim to come forward just months later, reporting multiple rapes and assaults between 2003 and 2004.
The prosecution detailed how Roy McKechnie was known to the families of both victims, using his position of familiarity to facilitate his sickening crimes. 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. Detective Constable Chris Gane praised the two women for their “extraordinary strength” in facing their abuser. On March 29, 2019, the judge handed down the serious 19-year term, emphasising the horrendous nature of the prolonged abuse.
As a result of his convictions for these vile sexual crimes, Roy McKechnie was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life. He is managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) by the Metropolitan Police Service, remaining under intensive supervision for the duration of his life. Any attempt to contact his victims or any breach of his strict registration requirements in Peckham, Sydenham, or elsewhere will result in his immediate arrest and return to prison.
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