The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)

Dundee rapist jailed for molesting teenage girl while she was sleeping

Lorry driver also found guilty of sex assault on another woman

- PAUL MALIK pamalik@thecourier.co.uk

A Dundee lorry driver has been jailed for five years after raping a teenager while she was asleep.

Father-of-five Graham Watson, 48, committed his attack on the sleeping girl – who cannot be named – at a flat in the city.

Watson, of Strathmore Avenue, denied a number of charges during a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh.

He was found guilty by a majority verdict of sexually assaulting and raping the teenage girl and carrying out a further sexual assault on a different woman at the Rewind nightclub on January 14 and 15 last year by repeatedly touching her leg.

His 19-year-old victim was asleep as he perpetrate­d his assault, molesting her on a couch before committing the rape while she woke up.

Sentencing Watson, Lord Uist said: “You are now 48 years old. You have only one previous conviction, which was for assault to injury in 2004, for which you were fined £500 and ordered to pay compensati­on of £500.

“You have a very good work record. It is sad to see someone of your age and background appearing in this court to be sentenced for the crime of rape.

“Unfortunat­ely, it appears that you fail to understand the gravity of your conviction for rape, which was committed against the background of consumptio­n of alcohol and cocaine.

“Taking into account the contents of the criminal justice social work report on you, all the informatio­n about you with which I have been provided and all that has been said on your behalf in mitigation, the sentence which I impose on charges one and three taken together is five years’ imprisonme­nt.”

He was acquitted of a further sexual assault which allegedly happened at a tent at the T in the Park music festival at Balado, Kinross, on July 13 or 14 2013.

Watson was unanimousl­y found not guilty of a further alleged assault said to have occurred at an address in Arbroath on December 25 2007 when he was accused of exposing himself to a woman.

The disgraced lorry driver has been placed on the sex offenders register indefinite­ly.

... it appears that you fail to understand the gravity of your conviction for rape

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