An Aberdeen man has been jailed after he admitted assaulting a young woman with intent to rape her.
Ricky Taylor hatched a plan to have sex with his young victim in his car after he offered to drive her home.
The 21-year-old took her to a secluded spot off Mugiemoss Road in the city before pulling over, pinning her down and struggling with her.
The woman, who repeatedly told him to stop, was able to restrain him for long enough until he “came to his senses”.
Yesterday Taylor was jailed for 15 months at Aberdeen Sheriff Court having previously admitted committing the offence on October 21, 2012.
The court heard that after the attack Taylor took his victim home.
In the days following he sent her a number of Facebook messages apologising for his behaviour and claiming he had “blacked out”.
One post, which was read out in court, said: “I actually almost raped you which is wrong in every sense and cheated on my girlfriend. Thank you for holding me off long enough.”
Representing the lift engineer, solicitor advocate Gail Goodfellow said her client had planned to have sex with the woman that night but believed it would have been consensual.
She said they had previously slept together and he hoped that she would accept his advances that night too as she had done before.
The court was presented with numerous references outlining Taylor’s good character and making clear that he had never been in trouble before.
Mrs Goodfellow said it was extremely out of character for him and insisted background reports suggested he was at a very low risk for reoffending.
Sentencing Taylor, of 14 Gaitside Drive, Aberdeen, Sheriff William Summers said despite his previous good character there was no alternative to a custodial sentence.
He also placed him on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years.