A SEX beast who raped a girl as young as 10 has been caged for 11 years.

Owen Hollern, 70, appeared at the High Court in Glasgow on Tuesday, December 12 where he was sentenced after being found guilty of a number of serious sexual assaults on children in the Dumbarton area.

Hollern was previously convicted at the High Court in Glasgow on Friday, November 3 for four serious sexual assaults that took place in the Dumbarton area from 1975 – when his two female victims were 10 and 14 years of age – until 1988.

Detective Inspector Scott Hamilton, based at Clydebank Police Office, praised the victims for having the courage to speak out against Hollern.

He said: “Hollern was a sexual predator who preyed on these young children, manipulated and abused them.

“Despite the appalling ordeal that he subjected these young girls to, they have had the courage to speak out about what happened to them and their information has been crucial to this investigation. I would like to thank them for their bravery in what must have been a daunting task to report him to police and then to have the courage to provide their evidence in court. Their testimonies have been vital to ensure that Owen Hollern is prevented from preying on other young children.

“My thoughts remain with the victims and their loved ones. I hope that today’s sentencing can bring them some solace in that person responsible for these despicable actions has now been held to account and they can move forward with their lives.

“We are committed to supporting victims of sexual crimes and investigating those responsible regardless of when they took place. Indeed, there may be more who have suffered at the hands of Owen Hollern, and I would encourage them to come forward to police. They can be assured of being fully supported by officers and our partner agencies.

“I would also like to thank the team of officers who worked on this investigation for their dedication and commitment to this sensitive case.”

Anyone with information or concerns about sexual crime can contact Police Scotland on 101. Alternatively Crimestoppers can be contacted on 0800 555 111, where anonymity can be maintained.