SENTENCING STATEMENTS

On sentencing Judge Matthew Jackson made the following remarks in court:

" On 17 August 26 you were found guilty by the jury of a number of charges against 2 victims. It is of concern, but perhaps little surprise, that the offences you carried out on your victims were very similar. It is apparent from the evidence heard at trial that you are the type of man who will readily impose himself upon a female partner in some type of deeply misguided demonstration of what you might think is your power over them. You seem to have done whatever you can to diminish the confidence and strength of your victims. In fact, it was quite clear at trial that your victims showed enormous courage and resolve in firstly reporting your crimes to the police and thereafter giving evidence against you to ensure that you were convicted of these deeply horrible offences. It is they, not you, who have exerted these traits of courage and strength.

I have now had the opportunity of reading the Criminal Justice Social Work Report and of course I have listened carefully to the submissions of counsel on your behalf this morning. You maintain your position of innocence of any offences which comes as no surprise. In contrast to your victims, I do not consider that you have the courage to recognise the true nature of your actions and so it is simpler for you to maintain your denial of these crimes. I note from the report that you claim to have travelled all over the world, searching for spiritual enlightenment. I can only hope that at some stage, hopefully sooner rather than later, you will start to acknowledge the hurt and lasting harm that you have caused to your victims. Without doing so, you place yourself at very real risk of further offending against other women in the future.

In considering how to deal with the question of sentencing in this case, I first need to assess your blameworthiness at the time of committing these offences.

In this context, I have regard to the 3 year period over which the offences were committed and have regard to the fact that you showed very significant levels of sexual violence to 2 women with whom you were in an intimate relationship. You raped them both- repeatedly . You assaulted them vaginally with a so-called sex toy causing at least one of your victims to bleed. The use of the word toy seems hopelessly misplaced here. You insisted on using this object to feed your own debased sexual lust for asserting yourself over these women.  Throughout your relationships with both of your victims, you abused them in numerous different ways all as listed in charges three and nine. You belittled them. You behaved in a deliberately controlling and terrifying manner. You body shamed your victims and behaved in a racist manner to one of them. You accused them of infidelity. You monitored their use of social media and you did so much more to seek to assert yourself as the dominant character in those relationships. It is a matter of great sadness that all of those behaviours I have just described, and more, appear day and daily in these courts being committed by men such as yourself. Both of your victims tell us that during the relationship they lived on edge. They felt frightened, trapped, humiliated and as though they were never quite good enough. One victim describes how she was afraid of being shouted at, ridiculed, accused of something, cheated on, or drawn into an argument where somehow she would end up believing everything was her fault and begging for forgiveness. The victims of these behaviours – these crimes – are to be commended for ensuring that you have been brought to justice as a result of their courage in speaking out.

The court next requires to assess the harm caused by you.

Both of your victims have provided the court with victim impact statements. They are both extraordinarily eloquent in their terms. They both make very difficult reading. They describe the lasting damage that you have wreaked upon these 2 women. Physically and mentally both women have been profoundly affected by the rapes and other offending that they described in evidence in court. Quite predictably, the lasting effects caused by your behaviour have impacted upon their ability to enjoy any kind of intimate relationship with somebody else. They suffer from panic attacks, flashbacks, night terrors, nightmares and periods of dissociation. It seems to me that they have both been very profoundly affected by these dreadful crimes that you consciously chose to commit upon them.

In my assessment, these factors are redolent of a high degree of culpability on your part.

Turning to the aggravating and mitigating factors present in this case, I note the statutory domestic aggravations in each of the charges on the indictment, namely that the offences were aggravated by involving abuse of your partner or ex-partner.

In terms of mitigation, there is frankly little in your favour in the report. I note that there is no analagous previous offending but you have , of course previously offended in other ways. I have regard to all that is said within the report and also to all that has been said on your behalf today by Mr Crowe.

I turn now to the question of sentence. I have reached the inevitable conclusion that there is no alternative here to a custodial sentence and a lengthy one at that. I will impose a cumulo sentence. In respect of the charges on the indictment as they appear I will list the length of sentence attributable to each separate charge.

Charge 1 would attract a prison sentence of 7 years.

Charge 2.  Would attract a 2 year sentence concurrent with charge 1

Charge 3 would attract a sentence of 18 months.

Charge 6 would attract a sentence of 7 years

Charge 8 would attract a sentence of 2 years concurrent with charge 6

Charge 9 would attract a sentence of 18 months.

In respect of charges 1 and 6, 1 yr of that sentence is attributable to the domestic aggravation. In respect of charges 2 and 8, 3 months is so attributable.

 It is a fundamental principle of sentencing that sentences should be no more severe than is necessary to achieve the appropriate purposes of sentencing in each case. Ordering that the sentences I would have imposed run consecutively would result in a custodial sentence of 17 years which is more severe than is necessary to achieve those purposes.

I will accordingly impose a cumulative sentence of a lesser amount than the sum of the various sentences indicated by me and that will be a sentence of 10 years. Backdate 17 August 2026.

I have given careful consideration to the imposition of an extension to that sentence but standing the finding of the social work department that you are considered to have an above average risk profile I am satisfied that the statutory test for the imposition of such an extension is not satisfied in your case.

NHOs

I will make a non-harassment order against you in relation to the complainers for an indefinite period. You must not approach or contact or attempt to approach contact either woman in any way whatsoever.

Your name will be added to the register of sex offenders for an indefinite period and the clerk of court will forward your name to the Scottish Ministers.

That is all."

15 September 2026