Firefighter sentenced for raping 9-year-old girl after rescuing her from blaze

An investigation led to McGinn being convicted of a further six charges against the girl and others

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A retired firefighter raped a nine-year old girl after rescuing her from a fire at her home.

John McGinn, 56, saved the girl from a blaze at her house in Bellshill, North Lanarkshire in 1994 and was accused of later raping her at her grandmother’s house, according to STV News.

McGinn already knew the girl and her family from living in the same area and he reportedly threatened to kill the girl’s mother if she spoke out about the incident.

The child was taken to her grandmother's after her mother was rushed to hospital due to smoke inhalation.

McGinn later arrived at her grandmother's house and raped the child pretending at first to be playing a game with her.

The girl, who is now aged 30, later contacted police.

An investigation led to McGinn being convicted of a further six charges against the girl as well as other individuals.

At the High Court in Glasgow, McGinn denied the charges telling the court that the claims against him were a “downright lie”, according to BBC reports.

“I would rather put a bullet in my own head than be a paedophile,” he added.

McGinn reportedly accused the victim of blackmailing him for his fire brigade pension. He claimed that the rape allegation was revenge for not giving her any money.

Claims also surfaced in court that McGinn assaulted another young girl giving her sweets and juice to ensure that she kept quiet about the incident.

McGinn worked as a fire fighter for 30 years across the North Lanarkshire area.

His sentence has been adjourned until later this month.