Prison Officer Russell Maitland Jailed for Child Rape and Sexual Abuse

A depraved former prison officer who denied having a sexual attraction to children has been jailed for 13 years after admitting to raping and sexually abusing two young girls.

Russell Maitland, 37, carried out the horrific abuse against his victims between the ages of four and 12. One girl was raped between the ages of seven and 11 while the second was abused between four and six.

Judge Summers told Maitland: "The charges to which you have pled guilty include charges involving a horrific catalogue of sexual violence perpetrated against two girls."

Despite accepting responsibility for his crimes, Maitland claimed he abused the girls for "a sense of danger and excitement", a claim the judge found difficult to accept.

Judge Summers highlighted that Maitland's abuse continued despite one of the victims reporting his behavior to Police Scotland. He stated that Maitland’s actions were carried out for "his own deviant sexual ends".

The judge also referenced the victim impact statements, noting that the girls "each struggle on a daily basis" due to Maitland's abuse. He said: "In relation to each of these children your offending was persistent and pervasive. It was carried out on a number of occasions over a number of years. Your offending was calculated and it was predatory. It was almost unimaginably depraved. It is hard to comprehend the harm that this will have caused."

The offences took place in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, and Aberdeen. Maitland was handed a 16-year extended sentence at the High Court in Aberdeen on Tuesday, with 13 years in jail and three years on licence once released back into the community.

He was also added to the sex offenders' register indefinitely and was banned from contacting his victims.