A teenage rapist who left a schoolgirl crying and screaming during a brutal assault was locked up for three years and nine months today.
The youth, who is now aged 17, was 15 years old when he subjected the victim to repeated rapes and to a sexual and physical assault.
Lord Uist told the youth, who cannot be identified due to his age, at the High Court in Edinburgh that he had earlier pleaded guilty to two serious sexual offences.
The judge said: “Your crimes have had a severe psychological effect upon your victim.”
Sentence was deferred on the youth until today to get a background report and psychologist’s report on him and previous hearings were put off because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Lord Uist pointed out that the psychologist had said in his report that the teenager carried out several acts which were “extremely violent and appeared callous”.
He told the teenager that if had been convicted of the crimes after a trial he would have ordered his detention for four years.
The judge added: “Had you been older at the time of the offences the sentence would have been longer.”
Lord Uist told the teenager that he would be placed on the sex offenders’ register for an indefinite period.
The youth earlier admitted raping his victim on various occasions between February and September in 2018 at addresses in the Aberdeenshire area. He also admitted assaulting her on September 8 that year.
The court heard that the youth had ignored the girl when she told him “no” and went on to have sex with her on occasions.
During the final attack he began molesting her and she tried to push him away but he punched her in the face.
He pushed her down onto a bed and repeatedly punched her on the head telling her “just lie down”.
The victim was crying and screaming but the youth grabbed her by the throat and put his arm around her neck.
An adult intervened after the girl was heard repeatedly shouting and pleading with her attacker to stop. The youth was later reported to the police.
Defence counsel David Moggach argued that the teenager’s case was “an exceptional one” which could be dealt with by a non-custodial disposal.
He said the offending occurred when the youth was 15 and had undiagnosed problems, which have since been diagnosed.
Mr Moggach said: “He has turned his life around with the help of others who were there to support him.”
The defence counsel said: “There is in this case significant and very real evidence of him being able to rehabilitate himself and become a responsible young man.”
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