Son of Lanarkshire sex beast who died behind bars says there is 'place in hell for him'

The son of a Lanarkshire paedophile who died in jail has said there is 'a special place in hell' for him.

John Andrew Ballantyne's father, John ,was dubbed the "Beast of Bonnybridge" for a catalogue of abuse against his son and many others in Lanarkshire and Stirlingshire from 1977 to 2018.

The 62-year-old was jailed in 2022 for 12 years and was two years into his sentence when he died in HMP Addiewell this week.

John Andrew learned of his father's death on Monday after he was contacted by the Scottish Prison Service, the Daily Record reports.

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The 43-year-old from Coatbridge said his first reaction to the news was anger that his dad had escaped justice in dying.

He said: "When I got the call, I felt anger rising up inside me. I wanted the opportunity to eventually confront him.

"I wanted to one day look him in the eye and tell him what he had done to me, but I felt like all of that had been taken away from me.

"I also wanted him to suffer in prison because I got comfort from the fact that he was inside and paying the price for all the harm he caused to my family and to other children.

"The two years he did in jail is nothing for the crimes he committed. So in a way, him dying feels like we haven't had any justice and that he has given us one last kick in the teeth.

"But I know there will be a special place in hell waiting for him."

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John Andrew refuses to acknowledge Ballantyne Snr as his father and calls him 'the beast.'

He previously told how he slept with a kitchen knife under his pillow on the eve of his 11th birthday to stop sex attacks from his father, who subjected him to four years of terror between 1987 and 1991.

He said the horrific experiences of his childhood has left him with life-long trauma.

John Andrew continued: "I have spoken about it before, but I used to sleep at night with a knife under my pillow as a child and have been diagnosed with severe PTSD as an adult.

"My own daughter has even suffered secondary trauma as a result of what he did and we have both had to undergo counselling, so this still lives with us all every day.

"People say put it behind you, but that is impossible.

"For everything he done for nearly forty years it just feels like a bad joke that he only had to serve two years in jail.

""I have heard through family members that they are planning on cremating him against his wishes but that's fine with us."

The Scottish Prison Service has been approached for comment.