Bonhill paedophile Norman Duncan knocked back for parole

Duncan, 73, had a hearing the day after police began searching his former home in Bonhill.

As reported last week, forensic teams, detectives and uniformed officers were amongst the personnel on site in the Ladyton estate from early on Wednesday morning.

They remained at the scene yesterday as the Reporter went to press.

The property being searched is 128 Ladyton, the address listed in court papers three years ago as Duncan’s home.

Duncan was jailed for five years in 2016 for a series of sexual offences against four girls committed between 1968 and 1976, when his victims were aged between eight and 15. He has now served half his sentence.

Duncan’s step-daughter, Mary, disappeared 43 years ago from the family’s then home in Third Avenue, Bonhill, and has not been seen or heard from since.

Police Scotland would not confirm the exact address of the search.

A spokeswoman said: “Police are currently searching an address in Ladyton, Alexandria, as part of an ongoing investigation.”

Last year, Mary’s sisters made an emotional appeal alongside detectives as they continued to search for answers on what happened to the teenager.

Officers continue to treat the case as a missing person inquiry and have a dedicated team examining all aspects of the case.

In January, the family marked Mary’s 60th birthday, focusing on happy memories and tying ribbons to a fence near their former home in Third Avenue, the last place Mary was seen.

Mary, who was the oldest of the children and worked as a machinist in Rosshead, disappeared after visiting a friend in Tullichewan.

She gave birth to Laura on February 17, 1975, but left home without her on March 19, 1976. She has never been seen or heard from again. Laura died of natural causes in October 1976.

Detectives last year said Mary was known to frequent the grounds of the Vale of Leven Hospital and appealed for any patients or former employees to get in touch through the 101 number if they saw her that day.