A MAN who carried out 'horrific' abuse of young women in Forth Valley for more than a decade has been jailed.

Andrew Hart was sentenced to six years and eight months in custody at the High Court in Edinburgh on Friday, May 22.

The 53-year-old committed offences – including rape - against three young females between 2007 and 2018 in the Larbert and Stenhousemuir areas.

Detective Inspector Yvonne O'Rourke, at Forth Valley Public Protection Unit, said: "The horrific crimes which Andrew Hart committed on the young victims will live with them for ever, and I would like to commend them for coming forward and speaking up.

"We welcome the sentence, and his placement on the sex offenders' register.

"Police Scotland is committed to bringing all perpetrators of sexual abuse to justice, regardless of the passage of time.

"It is never too late to report these types of crimes and we would urge anyone who wishes to report sexual crime, regardless of when it occurred, to contact us on 101 so we can conduct a thorough investigation."