A Caithness businessman found guilty of raping two women was described as “deplorable” and “entitled” as a judge sentenced him to more than 10 years in prison at the High Court in Aberdeen.
Charles Sutherland was convicted of the rape of two women and of having unlawful sex with a girl under the age of 16 in August this year.
Sutherland, 36, was additionally found guilty of a single count of indecent assault following a six-day trial.
It took a jury at the High Court in Inverness less than four hours to convict him on all five charges, which included three counts of rape.
Sutherland, who previously ran a successful joinery and construction firm, was jailed for 11 years.
Caithness businessman jailed after ‘an escalating pattern of deplorable abuse’
Judge William Summers stated that Sutherland’s convictions relating to the first complainer as “profoundly troubling” as he had sex with her when she was only 14 years old.
He added that, even though Sutherland was 17 at the time, he “shamelessly took advantage of her immaturity” to satisfy his own sexual desires.
It was stated that Sutherland then went on to rape the same women on two occasions.
The judge went on to state that, on the evidence of the second woman, Sutherland could have raped her “as many as 10 times” as she slept over a period of two years.
“These offences have an escalating pattern of deplorable abuse towards these women over a number of years,” Judge Summers said.
“It was quite clear from the evidence that you treated these women with a sense of entitlement and you used them for your own sexual ends – at times with no consideration for whether they wanted to have sexual intercourse with you.”
In the case of one victim, the judge stated that Sutherland’s actions had inflicted “life-changing consequences that she will never recover from”.
He added: “Your conviction for these offences stands as a testament to the courage and strength of the women who were prepared to give evidence to ensure that justice was done.”
‘I know what abuse looks like’
During the trial, the court heard how Sutherland targeted one of his victims while she was pregnant and another while she was sleeping.
One 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 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 has ‘learned harsh lesson’
Sutherland’s second 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.
Defence advocate Ian Duguid KC, told the court that Sutherland had “learned a harsh lesson” from the experience of being on trial and “has to pay the penalty today”.
“He is now a more mature individual and the whole process has been such a chastening one for him,” Mr Duguid.
“While he doesn’t accept [the verdict] he accepts that he has to be penalised.
“His determination never to become involved in any of this again is a strong one.”
Alongside a period of imprisonment, Judge Summers placed Sutherland, of Sandside House, Reay, on the sex offenders register for life.
He also put a non-harassment order in place for each of Sutherland’s victims, meaning he cannot approach of contact them.
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