A PAEDOPHILE is behind bars after admitting sexually abusing two young children in the Vale – starting when the youngest was just four years-old.

Charles McGinley, 60, preyed on the brother and sister while babysitting them at addresses in Bonhill in the late 1980s and early 1990s but the sickening sexual abuse was only reported to the police in 2013 in light of the celebrity sex scandal.

One of the victims said the abuse was “brushed under the carpet like a dirty secret” and a relative of the victims, who was at court told the Reporter the predator had “ruined their lives”.

Dumbarton Sheriff Court heard last week that McGinley began abusing the girl when her brother was out playing and younger siblings were sleeping.

Fiscal depute Tom Bowman said the woman, who can’t be named for legal reasons, remembers that McGinley would bring a duvet to the living room, pull it over them on the couch and make her sit on his knee.

McGinley became sexually excited and induced her to perform sex acts on him. He also went into her room at night, crawled into the bottom of her bed and performed sex acts on her – which she said happened from the first time he babysat.

The abuse continued on and off for more than two years until one day when the girl was told McGinley would babysit them and started crying and saying she didn’t want him to watch her.

That day, McGinley abused the boy, who was aged under 10. The boy’s grandparents were in the next room, when McGinley touched his private parts and made the boy perform a sex act on him. He then gave the youngster “20p or 50p”.

Mr Bowman told the court the woman can’t remember what she told her mum at the time but after then McGinley stopped babysitting.

The woman told officials she “felt her parents brushed it under the carpet like a dirty secret and that she had done something wrong”.

Mr Bowman said the abuse came to light on Christmas Day 2013 when the woman and her parents discussed the celebrity sex scandal and the woman brought up the abuse she suffered as a child.

Her mum told her she regretted not telling the police but she was worried about social work involvement, feared her children would be taken away and was concerned about how a police investigation would have affected them at a young age.

Four days later, the mum went to the police, who launched an investigation and arrested and charged McGinley in 2014.

The court heard the female victim suffers from mental health problems following the abuse and has attempted suicide, also turning to drugs.

She told officials: “It was like I was wanting to run away from my problems but I can’t keep running forever, I have to face my demons.”

McGinley, described in court papers as a prisoner at Barlinnie, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to sexually abusing the two children.

His lawyer, Gail Campbell, told the court she would reserve any comments in his defence until he appears for sentencing.

Sheriff Simon Pender deferred sentence until March 8 for background reports and a psychiatric risk assessment.

McGinley was remanded in custody and placed on the sex offenders register.

A relative who was at court for the hearing told the Reporter: “He’s ruined their lives and now he’s got to pay for it. He’s got to pay the price for what he’s done.”