Lawyers lodge appeal against university rapist’s conviction

A rapist who boasted that he “wanted to sleep with 100 women” is appealing against his conviction.

Duncan Burns, of Rosemount Road, Birkhill, was jailed for five years in December after being found guilty of raping a female student.

The 24-year-old was an accommodation liaison officer at Stirling University.

Lawyers acting for Burns have now lodged an appeal against his conviction.

Giving evidence from behind a screen at the High Court in Livingston, the woman told how Burns used his strength to have sex against her will in March 2016.

She told the court she had liked Burns and started going back to his room, where he constantly pressured her to have sex but she always refused.

The woman, who was “shy” about relationships, repeatedly told him “no”.

The jury heard evidence that the woman and another female, who also had sex with Burns, went to police with almost identical stories about how he had abused them before raping them.

Burns was found not guilty of a second charge of raping another woman.

He was originally charged with three counts of rape and six of assault.

His sentence was backdated to November 1 when he was found guilty and he was placed on the sex offenders register.

A date for Burns’ appeal at the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh has still to be fixed.

Judge Lord Mulholland told Burns when passing sentence: “Despite making it plain to you that she did not want to have sexual intercourse with you, you ignored her wishes.”