A retired stationmaster given an MBE for services to Aberdour has been found guilty of battering and sexually assaulting kids in his care at a notorious children’s home.

Trevor Francis was included in the 2012 Queen's Birthday Honours for his services to the village, including 21 years at the railway station which regularly won 'best in Scotland' awards for its floral displays.

He received the MBE from Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace and when he retired in December 2014, a party was thrown in his honour and he told the Press: "There are not many places where a 70-year-old man can cross the street and have kids shout 'Hello!'

"I don't know them but they know who I am – which means I have to behave myself!"

The quote seems chilling now as his community spirited facade hid the reality of the abuse he doled out to vulnerable kids in his care at the St Margaret's children's home in Elie in the mid-1970s.

And he's been warned he faces a prison sentence when he returns to Dundee Sheriff Court next month.

Fiscal depute Eilidh Robertson told the jury: "He is a manipulative, violent and predatory person who abused the trust of these vulnerable people who he was paid to protect.

"But instead he perpetrated physical and sexual abuse towards them and managed to stay undetected because of his Jekyll and Hyde personality."

Originally from Salisbury, Francis trained as an RAF engineer and later retrained as a nurse.

He took over as a manager at St Margaret's in 1973 after twisted paedophile David Murphy was forced out of a job at the home after allegations were made against him that were never followed up by police.

Murphy was finally jailed in 2002 for 15 years after admitting 14 charges of lewd and libidinous practices and behaviour and 16 charges of sodomy at St Margaret's and at another home.

Francis was part of a new regime at the home that should have removed the children from the threat of abuse.

But instead he was described as "creepy" and subjected kids to brutal physical attacks and sickening sexual assaults.

Francis' name came up during the probe into Murphy in the late 90s.

But it was only when one brave victim came forward in 2014 that police were able to build a case against him.

They visited former residents who told of abuse at his hands.

Three girls, aged 14 to 16 at the time, told a jury that Francis would creep into the girls' dormitory at night and sexually assault them.

Others told how he slapped them in the face and beat them with a slipper in violent rages.

Ms Robertson said: "The accused might seem mild mannered – an upstanding citizen, a family man.

"His wife was at pains to tell you that her Trevor would never have acted like that.

"We are dealing with an intelligent, manipulative man who can turn on and off that predatory, violent behaviour."

Giving evidence in his own defence Francis said he was "relatively easy going" and claimed to have had a good relationship with the kids at the home.

In a bizarre exchange he said: "Come hell or high water they wanted me to watch Top of The Pops with them every week.

"It helped me relate to the kids and know about acts like Gary Glitter at the time.

"I suppose that's the wrong name to use today though."

He added: "Not in any situation would I have dreamed of doing what I'm accused of doing.

"It is totally inappropriate and totally wrong. But they say I did it."

The 71-year-old denied a total of nine charges.

But the jury found him guilty by majority of two offences of using lewd, indecent and libidinous practices and behaviour towards young girls and three assaults.

One further lewd and libidinous charge and three assaults were found not proven.

Sheriff Alastair Brown deferred sentence for reports and released Francis on bail.

He told him: "A prison sentence is a serious possibility."