Jail death of Scots paedophile who raped two young girls to be probed by Sheriff
A probe is to be held over the prison death of a vile Scottish paedophile who raped and sexually abused two young girls.
John Barr, 71, was convicted of four charges of rape and one count of lewd and libidinous practises following a trial in July 2019. The High Court in Edinburgh heard how he inflicted a campaign of terror on the young girls for almost a decade.
The victims were targeted at two addresses in Fallin, near Stirling, between October 1983 and October 1991. One of the girls was aged between six and 15 when she was subjected to serious sexual assault at the hands of Barr.
The other child was aged between 13 and 18 when she was molested by the beast. His crimes were only brought to light when one of the women, now in her 40s, came forward and reported the abuse to police in November 2017.
Investigators then re-opened a previous case from 2003 which involved the other victim. Barr protested his innocence, however, a jury found the beast guilty of the depraved offences.
Following his sentencing, Police Scotland Detective Constable David Brown thanked both women for their bravery in reporting their abuser.
He said: 'For almost a decade, John Barr preyed on two young girls and committed horrific sexual offences against the pair. Had it not been for their bravery in coming forward his crimes could have gone unpunished.
'Now, however, he will serve a custodial sentence and I wish to thank both women for their continued support of the police investigation.
"It is my sincere hope that both can now put their respective ordeals behind them and move on with their lives.
"We are committed to bringing all perpetrators for sexual abuse to justice and time is no barrier for our inquiries. We would urge anyone who wishes to report sexual crime, regardless of when it occurred, to contact us so we can conduct a thorough and professional investigation."
Barr died while receiving palliative care at a community hospital in Granton, Edinburgh, on October 5, 2023. He had been serving a seven year sentence at HMP Edinburgh.
Barr was in legal custody and in the care of the state at the time of his death. The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service is obliged to investigate such deaths, and a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) is mandatory.
A preliminary hearing will be held on July 21 at Edinburgh Sheriff Court before the FAI is heard on November 4 at the same court.
The purpose of a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) includes determining the cause of death; the circumstances in which the deaths occurred, and to establish what, if any, reasonable precautions could have been taken, and could be implemented in the future, to minimise the risk of future deaths in similar circumstances.
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Unlike criminal proceedings, FAIs are inquisitorial in nature, and are used to establish facts rather than to apportion blame.
Procurator Fiscal Andy Shanks, who leads on fatalities investigations for COPFS, said: 'The Lord Advocate considers that the death of John Barr occurred while in legal custody and as such a Fatal Accident Inquiry is mandatory.
'The lodging of the First Notice enables FAI proceedings to commence under the direction of the Sheriff.'
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