The sentencing of a dangerous sex offender who abducted and raped a man at gunpoint has been delayed as the court considers an order of life-long restriction.
Nathan Sim was found guilty of the sustained and brutal attack following a trial at the High Court in Aberdeen at the start of this month.
The 20-year-old was convicted of donning a black balaclava and pulling an imitation handgun on his 18-year-old victim, who believed he was being given a place to sleep after he missed his bus home.
Sim then subjected him to a prolonged and violent abduction and rape, which lasted until the early hours of the morning at his address on Great Northern Road in July 2022.
It was stated that, following the rape, Sim also forced the teenager into a shower to destroy forensic evidence.
Sim had been due to be sentenced but the case was further deferred following the emergence of “new information” for the court to get reports regarding a potential order for life-long restriction.
Judge Buchanan told Sim, who appeared via a video link at the High Court in Aberdeen: “The crimes for which you have been convicted are very serious indeed.
“Your victim was a vulnerable young man who suffered serious psychological trauma as a result of what you did to him.
“I’m concerned about the true level of risk which you pose to the public when you are at liberty.
“The extreme circumstances of your offence and the further information which I have been provided with today suggest you may have a propensity to commit very serious crimes of violence and sexual violence which place members of the public at risk of serious harm.
“I’m satisfied the risk criteria for an order of life-long restriction may be met in your case.”
Rapist wore balaclava
Judge Buchanan deferred sentence until November for a report on the level of risk Sim being at liberty presents to the public at large.
Previously, following the guilty verdict, Judge Buchanan warned Sim that he was certain to face prison for his horrific crimes.
“You have been convicted of very serious charges indeed,” the judge said.
“It is inevitable that in due course you will receive a sentence involving custody.
“What the sentence will be, will be determined in the fullness of time once all the relevant reports have been obtained.”
Judge Buchanan remanded Sim in custody and placed him on the sex offenders register.
During the trial, jurors heard disturbing testimony from Sim’s victim, who said his attacker wore a black balaclava and beat him with the butt of the gun, which he believed to be real.
He stated that he repeatedly “begged” Sim to stop, but that his rapist seemed to “enjoy” watching him suffer.
“I didn’t know if I was getting out or not – I was really scared,” he told the jury.
“[Sim] said he wouldn’t let me out because he thought I would go to the police.”
The man said Sim filmed the assault on his mobile phone as he pleaded with him to stop, to which he replied: “I don’t care.”
“I felt at that point my whole manhood was ripped away from me,” the victim said.
He told jurors that Sim then sexually assaulted and orally raped him during a horrific ordeal that lasted more than six hours.
The man stated that Sim forced him into a shower on two occasions to wash his body and destroy any potential evidence of his crimes.
“He took my dignity,” the witness added.
Jail cell confession
On the second day of the trial, the jury heard evidence from two social workers who claimed Sim had made a jail cell confession prior to his first court appearance.
One of them, Brett Morrison, said Sim told him he had “really f***** up this time,” adding: “I went too far I think.”
Mr Morrison said Sim was “scared” he would go to prison and was “pleading in desperation” due to the “perilous” situation he found himself in.
“He said he had really f***** up this young person and they didn’t deserve it,” Mr Morrison said.
The social worker also claimed Sim made a “penetration symbol” with his hand and forefinger.
Advocate depute Naomei Warner put it to Sim that, following his arrest, he was “upset” and “wanted to talk about what had happened” with Mr Morrison and his colleague Kristin Meyer.
However, as he gave evidence in his own defence, Sim denied making the hand gesture and told Ms Warner the social workers had gotten “the wrong idea”.
Sim claimed the sex with the teenager was consensual.
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