The shamed former captain of the Waverley who was convicted of sexually abusing young boys on-board the paddle steamer has died in HMP Barlinnie.
David Neill, 76, was twice convicted of abusing young boys in his cabin between 1981 and 1987.
The victims, who are all now in their 50's, had to relive their ordeal at the High Court in Glasgow earlier this year.
It emerged the former captain, who helmed the Waverley from 1975 to 1997, lured the teenagers in with the promise of jobs on the ship and then a career in the Navy.
David Neill, 75, of Galston in Ayrshire, denied the charges before he was found guilty and caged for seven years by judge Tom Hughes QC in February this year.
The Glasgow Times understands he died last week of natural causes while serving his sentence in HMP Barlinnie.
Neill was previously jailed for three years in 1998 at Glasgow Sheriff Court after being found guilty of abusing five teenage boys in his cabin.
The offences took place in the captain's cabin while the Waverley was on trips on the Clyde or berthed at Anderston Quay in Glasgow for a six-year period.
Police began investigating Neill after one of the victims came forward a couple of years ago.
READ MORE: David Neill accused of sex attacks on the Waverley
A 51-year-old man said Neill sexually abused him while he was working as a steward on the ship and then claimed it was a joke.
He said: “ I woke up and the captain was playing with my penis and testicles. I told him to f*** off.”
“I was very confused and full of shame. The captain said it was just a joke. I didn't find it funny.”
He claimed that on another night he was drunk and sleeping in the captain's cabin and again woke to find Neil sexually abusing him.
The man said that he suffers from 'flashbacks” including memories of the way Neill smelled which he described as being 'sweat and Old Spice.”
A 53-year-old man also told the jury he was sexually assaulted by Neill.
He said he worked as a galley boy on the ship for a couple of months before jumping ship in Fort William.
The witness, who gave evidence via a video link from Canada, said Neill also abused him on a car journey between his home in Ayrshire and the Waverley, which was docked in Glasgow.
A spokesman for the Scottish Prison Service said: "David Lindsay Neill, 76, a prisoner from HMP Barlinnie has died.
"He was convicted at Glasgow High Court in 2020.
"Police Scotland have been advised and the matter reported to the Procurator Fiscal.
"A fatal accident inquiry will be held in due course."
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