A 77-year-old Edinburgh man has been jailed for six years for a series of violent and sexual offences against children spanning almost three decades.

Archibald Thorburn was sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh on Friday, 6 November, after previously being found guilty of offences committed in the Portobello area between 1963 and 1992. He subjected his victims to physical and sexual abuse over a number of years while they were children.

Detective Inspector Stephanie Garnett, of Police Scotland, said: "This was a harrowing investigation, and our thoughts are with the victims. The abuse they suffered as children is unimaginable and I hope this sentence helps bring them some closure."

Decades of abuse in Portobello

The court heard that Thorburn's offending began in 1963 and continued until 1992, with his victims abused over many years in the Portobello area of the capital. He had previously been found guilty at the High Court in Edinburgh, and was sentenced on Friday after the court considered the case.

Police Scotland said the investigation into Thorburn's crimes was harrowing for those involved, and officers praised the victims for coming forward. The force said the six-year sentence reflected the seriousness of offences committed against vulnerable children over such a long period.

Thorburn will now serve his sentence in custody, with the court having taken his age and lack of previous offending into account alongside the gravity of what he did.