‘I thought I was dead’: Mum who was unaware she was living with a rapist feared for her life

An Aberdeenshire mum who didn’t know she was living with a convicted rapist has said police should have done more to protect her and the woman’s children.

Mother-of-five Rachel Whyte, 34, was only told by police of Allan Thompson’s criminal past after the rapist from Tyneside pulled a knife on her.

During a three-hour ordeal, she feared that the 32-year-old might kill her.

Ms Whyte, who dated Thompson and lived with him in Aboyne from December 2021, was oblivious to his rape conviction and that he had been added to the sex offenders register for life.

She believes that Police Scotland should have “flagged” Thompson’s past to her after she gave officers his details on three separate occasions.

But a spokeswoman for the force said that, while Thompson’s details were recorded, no background checks were required “due to the circumstances of the visits”.

Thompson, whose last known address was Jarrow in South Tyneside, was aged just 16 when he raped a woman in Camperdown, North Tyneside.

It was reported that he dragged his 18-year-old victim into a back street in January 2007, before carrying out a sickening attack.

He then laughed in her face as he robbed her.

The Press and Journal revealed last month that Thompson moved from Tyneside to Royal Deeside in December 28 2021 – without informing Northumbria Police.

Asked how she felt upon finding out that her boyfriend, who she met online, was actually a convicted rapist, Ms Whyte said: “I felt sick. My stomach dropped. I was really angry.

“How could you not tell someone what you’ve done? I had no idea. I was so angry because I’ve got kids. I would never have that around my kids.

“Nearly two years was a lie because of what he’s done.”

‘The police didn’t know he was here’

Ms Whyte claimed that police should have done more to protect her family from Thompson, whose details she provided to officers on several occasions when one of her children was the victim of serious bullying.

“The police definitely didn’t know he was here,” Ms Whyte said.

“What annoys me the most is that the police were here three times and I gave [Thompson’s] name, his address in Newcastle and his date of birth and he was never checked. Why was that not flagged up?

“There should be something in place because, unfortunately, this is going to happen to someone else.”

On the day of Thompson’s latest arrest, Ms Whyte described how he terrorised her and her children for up to three hours while brandishing a knife.

She escaped to a bathroom and sent a text to her daughter, saying: “I’m hurt. I need help. He’s got a knife”.

Ms Whyte added: “He had said before he would be the one to kill me, so, in my mind, I didn’t think I was going to get out of the house.

“I thought I was dead at this point. I really thought my kids were going to come through and find their mum dead on the floor.”

Upon his arrest, Thompson gave police a fake name – Allan Bates – which they and the court service were still using when he was jailed at Aberdeen Sheriff Court last month.

‘He provided false details to police’

A Police Scotland spokeswoman told the Press and Journal: “Officers attended an address and details of those living in the property were recorded. No background checks were required due to the circumstances of the visits.

“On Wednesday 28 December 2022, officers were called to a report of a disturbance at the same address and, following the arrest of a 32-year-old man, it was discovered he had provided false details to police.

“Once his correct identity had been established and following consultation with partners, information was provided about his previous convictions to those he had been living with and a safety plan put in place.

“A custodial sentence was served in relation to the disturbance and Police Scotland contacted those who were living at the same address, once we were aware of his release from prison.

“Under multi-agency public protection arrangements, this individual is managed by another police force in the UK and Police Scotland was not aware he had relocated to Scotland or was in a new relationship.”

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