In 2019, the Offender Database reported that Hugh Mitchell, then 69, died in custody at HMP Edinburgh after serving just over three years of a ten-year sentence. Mitchell, a former classroom assistant and soldier from Kirknewton, West Lothian, was convicted at Edinburgh High Court in 2015 for the vile and predatory rape of a nine-year-old girl and seven further counts of indecency involving five children. His death was later reported to be the result of ischaemic heart disease.
The investigation into Hugh Mitchell uncovered a sickening and depraved “fictionalised” book he had written based on his own campaign of sexual abuse. His wife discovered the sordid manuscript in their home and handed it to the authorities. The book contained a horrific tale titled ‘Holiday,’ written from a child’s perspective, which vilely suggested that his victims were “grateful” for his horrendous actions. The abuse took place between 1988 and 2004 at various locations in West Lothian, including Almondell Country Park in East Calder and Bubbles Leisure Pool in Livingston.
The court heard that Hugh Mitchell targeted siblings, beginning his vile abuse of one girl when she was just five years old and later turning his predatory attention to her six-year-old sister. One of his victims testified to the prolonged psychological damage caused by his actions, revealing that she suffered from depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and had visible scars from self-harming. Mitchell had regularly acted as a babysitter, using his position of trust in Kirknewton, West Lothian, to access and exploit the children.
As a result of his convictions for these horrendous sexual crimes, Hugh Mitchell was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life. He was managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) by Police Scotland and the Scottish Prison Service until his death in 2019. Following his passing at HMP Edinburgh, a mandatory Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) was scheduled to be held in due course, as is standard procedure for all deaths in Scottish custody. His death brought a final end to his depraved history of offending across the West Lothian area.
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