Rapist found guilty of a catalogue of abuse and violence is jailed

court: Man spiked drinks and threw one victim against a window

A rapist has been jailed for 13 years after spiking a woman’s drink before telling her “prove it” when she confronted him over the sex attack.

Craig Slater was convicted of a catalogue of sexual abuse and violence against women, including getting three victims to consume intoxicating substances without their knowledge.

A judge told Slater, 50, of Droverhall Avenue, Crossgates, that it was quite obvious from the case that he was “a clear danger to women”

Judge Tom Hughes QC said at the High Court in Edinburgh that it had disclosed “quite horrendous conduct”.

The judge said he had read victim impact statements and said: “Their lives have been blighted.”

He said: “They came to court and gave their evidence with dignity and the jury believed them and it may well be they can take some comfort from that.”

The judge ordered Slater should also be kept under supervision for a further two years.

He was earlier found guilty of 11 charges, including four offences of rape, assault to danger of life with intent to rape, indecent assault and assault.

He was acquitted of a further four charges of indecency, indecent assault and assault. He had denied a string of charges.

Slater committed a series of violent and sexual crimes between 1993 and 2014 in Methil and Inverkeithing and raped three woman among his five victims. Only one woman was raped after being doped.

A woman who met him through the Plenty of Fish dating website said she was left feeling “sleepy” and “dopey “after consuming a drink prepared by Slater.

She went to bed but knew when she awoke that someone had sex with her, although she had no recollection and confronted Slater. His response was to laugh and tell her “prove it”.

Slater also raped the woman after telling her to choke him. He grabbed her arms and told her to do it and then gripped her by the throat and forced her to have sex.

The victim said that at first when she knew him he had seemed nice, but had turned abusive and violent towards her.

Another rape victim, who was subjected to violence and sexual assault by Slater, said: “I was terrified. I was scared. I felt disgusted but I didn’t want anyone else to know anything.”

She said she had suffered flashbacks and sleeplessness in the wake of his crimes, adding: “He knelt on my chest. I couldn’t breathe at all. I felt as if I was suffocating. I had pain in my chest. I thought I was going to die.”

She said that afterwards she was curled up in a ball and crying. Advocate depute Richard Goddard asked what Slater’s reaction was and she replied: “Nothing. He just laughed.”

She said during one assault he had been drinking and lunged at her, pulled her hair and threw her against a window, with her arm going through it.

The court heard the woman woke to find Slater on top of her having sex with her. She pushed him and asked him what he was doing but he laughed and said: “I am finished anyway.” The woman said it was “disgusting”.

The third rape victim said she was in “shock” when Slater assaulted her and took off her underwear, saying: “I felt dirty and I felt violated.”

Slater also punched the woman on the side of the head and hit her two-year-old son during a separate attack.

Slater told the court that he had previously taken amphetamine for years but took ecstasy only a few times and denied the sex assaults and spiking women’s drinks.

Defence solicitor advocate Iain Paterson said Slater still maintained his innocence of the offences he was found guilty on.

Slater was placed on the sex offenders register.

I was terrified. I was scared. I felt disgusted but I didn’t want anyone else to know anything

Craig Slater has been jailed for 13 years.