A Caithness businessman is behind bars after being found guilty of raping two women.
Charles Sutherland was also convicted of having unlawful sex with a girl under 16 as well as a single count of indecent assault.
Sutherland, 36, who owns Sandside House, had denied all the charges at the High Court in Inverness.
But, following three days of evidence a jury took under four hours to return guilty verdicts on all charges.
In evidence led by advocate depute William Frain-Bell, the court heard how Sutherland targeted one of his victims while she was pregnant and another while she was sleeping.
During the course of the trial, a woman told jurors Sutherland had sex with her when she was under 16 and only considered it problematic with the benefit of hindsight.
Giving evidence, the victim, now in her 30s, said: “I know what abuse looks like.”
‘The pain took over everything’
The unlawful sex took place at locations in Caithness between 2005 and 2007, when Sutherland himself was aged 17 or 18.
The trial heard that the victim of a rape and an indecent assault had consented to sex with Sutherland on some occasions, but on others she did not wish to have sexual contact.
Describing one of these incidents, she told the jury: “The pain took over everything else.”
She said Sutherland also raped her when she was pregnant and told of how she waited for it to be over.
“Your body language speaks a thousand words,” she added.
The indecent assault and rape took place at addresses in Caithness in 2006 and 2007.
Sutherland’s other victim described how she had woken to find him having sex with her “sweating and grunting”.
She said: “It wasn’t until the next morning that I felt really weird about it.”
The woman described another occasion when she had told Sutherland she did not wish to have sex, but felt unable to stop it.
She said: “I told him I wasn’t in the mood.”
When Sutherland pushed her she “went along with it” but “felt ashamed” the court heard.
In evidence led by Ian Duguid KC, Sutherland took to the witness box in his own defence and denied all of the allegations.
The joiner, who is the owner of a successful Caithness construction company, told the court that he was well-known in the area due to his business and high-profile property purchase.
The jury heard that he had engaged in consensual sex with both of the women, but that the incidents they described simply did not happen.
Asked about targeting one of the woman while she was asleep, he said: “I just wouldn’t do it.”
Under cross-examination, he stated: “I have never raped anybody.”
But a jury returned guilty verdicts on three counts of rape, one of indecent assault and one of unlawful sex with a girl under 16.
Judge Summers called for presentencing reports and remanded Sutherland in custody in the meantime.
The case will call again in Aberdeen in October.
