A COMMENDED former police officer has been jailed for 12 years he carried out sex attacks on two women along with a string of assaults.

A judge told former sergeant Kevin Storey that he had a lengthy and honourable record of police service in the Scottish Borders and other parts of Britain.

But Paul Arthurson QC told him at the High Court in Edinburgh: "Your appalling crimes render you a disgrace to your former uniform."

The judge also ordered that Storey, 48, should be kept under supervision for a further three years. He was put on the sex offenders' register indefinitely.

Storey was earlier refused bail after he was convicted of eight charges against three women and a child following a trial last month.

First offender Storey, formerly of Quarrydene, Melrose, had earlier denied a string of charges, but was convicted of rape, attempted rape, indecent assault and assault, committed at various locations in the Borders, by a jury at the High Court in Edinburgh.

One victim feared he was "untouchable" and spoke about him being in the Masons and a police officer. The woman said she had felt "used" by Storey and found some of his sexual practices "painful and disgusting", the court heard.

Storey was found guilty of assaulting his first victim in 1989 at a house in Galashiels. She was grabbed by the body and pushed out of the house and seized by the neck.

A second woman, now aged 46, was also assaulted at addresses in the Borders town during the 1990s and Storey also tried to rape her.

A third woman, now aged 41, was also subjected to abuse and violence which began in the 1990s and also suffered rape and indecent assault.

Storey was also found guilty of assaulting a two-year-old boy by shouting and grabbing him by his upper clothing.

Defence counsel Shelagh McCall said Storey had been a serving police officer for 28 years but resigned following his conviction.

She said he had received five commendations, two relating to river rescues and one to stopping a suicide on a bridge.

She said he had been trained in public order matters and had been deployed at riots in Brixton.

Miss McCall said character references had been provided for Storey from members of the public, police support staff and retired officers.

"This is not an accused without any insight," she said.

The defence counsel said in a background report he recognised an alcohol problem but did not seek to use that as an excuse for his behaviour.

Miss McCall said Storey had earlier attempted suicide.

Chief Superintendent Gill Imery, commander of the Lothians and Scottish Borders Division of Police Scotland, where Storey served as a sergeant, said: "The perpetration of these sort of crimes can never be tolerated and it is of even greater shock and disappointment when the offender is a police officer.

"Kevin Storey's complete contempt and disregard for his victims shows him to be a callous individual whose actions have fallen significantly short of the high standards of professional behaviour we expect as an organisation.

"There is no place for domestic abuse and associated offences within our communities and we will continue to use all resources at our disposal to identify those responsible and bring them to justice."

Detective Chief Inspector Sam McCluskey, of the Domestic Abuse Task Force, paid tribute to the women who came forward and reported Storey's crimes.

She said: "Over the course of two decades Kevin Storey systematically targeted and abused various women.

"Each of his victims has shown great strength in coming forward to report the offences and had it not been for their courage, we may not have been able to fully comprehend the level of violence Storey was capable of.

"Today's sentence should send a very clear message that whoever you are, domestic abuse is simply not acceptable and will not be tolerated."