In 2021, then 74-year-old Richard McCormick and 69-year-old Alexander Morgan died within 24 hours of each other while serving sentences for a predatory series of assaults at HMP Edinburgh (Saughton). The Scottish Prison Service reported on 21 December 2021, that McCormick passed away on December 17 and Morgan on December 18. This identifies a final conclusion to the custodial terms of two high-risk offenders who had targetted young girls across several decades, documented by prison bosses following the reports to the Procurator Fiscal.
The investigation established that McCormick carried out a catalogue of child abuse against five girls as young as three over a 31-year period starting in the 1970s. The prosecution reported at the High Court in Edinburgh in 2016, that McCormick targetted his own daughter and others in vehicles and houses across Stirlingshire, identifying a total abandonment of human decency by the then 69-year-old at the time of his conviction. His daughter, Dawn, bravely provided evidence but tragically ended her own life two weeks after the verdicts, never seeing her father’s eight-year sentence commence.
ALEXANDER MORGAN AND JUDICIAL BACKGROUND
The court reported that Alexander Morgan was originally caged for 10 years in 2015 for sexual offences, including the rape of a young girl in Paisley. The investigation established that after his initial conviction, two further victims—aged 11 and 12 at the time of their attacks—came forward, resulting in an additional eight-year sentence. The prosecution reported in 2015, that Morgan’s behaviour involved the systematic exploitation of minors, identifying a priority assault by the judiciary to ensure he remained incarcerated for a total of 18 years.
Judge-led proceedings and subsequent custodial oversight at HMP Edinburgh concluded with the deaths of both men in December 2021. For their actions in Stirlingshire, Paisley, Falkirk, and across Scotland, and the nature of the series of child abuse, rape, and historic molestation investigations reported, McCormick and Morgan were removed from the public until their deaths. The investigation established that Fatal Accident Inquiries (FAIs) will be held for both prisoners, as is mandatory under Scottish law for deaths in custody.
STATUS AND CASE DETAILS (1970s–2021)
Based on judicial and Scottish Prison Service records as of 2026:
- Legal Status: DECEASED (In 2021, died while serving custodial sentences).
- Custodial Status: EXPIRED (In 2021, McCormick died Dec 17; Morgan died Dec 18 at HMP Edinburgh).
- Offence Nature: McCormick abused five girls (aged 3+) over 31 years; targetted his own daughter; committed offences in Stirlingshire. Morgan raped a young girl in Paisley and assaulted two others aged 11 and 12.
- Timeline of Case: McCormick convicted 2016 (8 years); Morgan convicted 2015 (18 years total); Deaths reported December 2021.
- Location: Edinburgh (HMP Edinburgh); Stirlingshire; Paisley, Renfrewshire; Falkirk.
- Forensic Profile: Then 74-year-old (McCormick) and 69-year-old (Morgan) males; forensic history documents a multi-decade predatory intent targetting primary-school-aged children; identified as offenders whose actions led to “monstrous” trauma and, in the case of McCormick’s daughter, catastrophic mental health consequences.
- Sex Offenders Register: Notification requirements were active for life until their deaths.
- Judicial Oversight: Managed by the Scottish Prison Service and the High Courts of Edinburgh and Glasgow.
- Criminal Record: Registered sex offenders; Series predators; Child abusers; Deceased in 2021.
- Origin: Stirlingshire (McCormick) and Paisley (Morgan).
MONITORING AND PUBLIC PROTECTION
In 2021, both McCormick and Morgan were managed as maximum-risk predators under the statutory requirements of the Scottish MAPPA unit. Due to the nature of the behaviour—specifically the series of persistence in targetting multiple children over several decades—they were a priority for the highest level of prison security. Authorities reported that the 2021 deaths identify a closure for the victims who had bravely come forward to expose the systematic “horror” of their abuse.
As registered sex offenders until their passing, their details were permanently logged on the national police database to ensure their history remained visible to all law enforcement agencies. Authorities stated that the behaviour of McCormick and Morgan identifies a commitment to clandestine child abuse and the systematic destruction of familial and community trust. Their deaths in 2021 result in the final protection of the community from two men who used “fatherly” and “neighbourly” masks to hide a predatory and persistent series of assaults on the innocent.
QUESTION – Given that the offender Richard McCormick “abused his own daughter for decades, leading to her suicide before she could see him jailed,” do you believe the law should legally mandate that “All Convicted Child Abusers Targetting Family Members” must be “Sentenced to Mandatory Immediate Incarceration Without Bail Pending Appeal” to prevent a series of assaults?
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