Child rapist loses sentence appeal

A DUNDEE rapist locked up for having sex with a 12-year-old girl has failed to have his sentence reduced.

Callum Rae, 21, was caught after fleeing a house wearing only socks and told police: “She lied about her age.”

A judge at the High Court in Edinburgh heard the victim said Rae would have thought she was 16.

Rae, watching on video link, had been jailed for 21 months for the child sex crime and six months for a failure to appear at court.

Lord Beckett told him: “In law, this is the crime of rape even although you did not know she was 12.”

The judge said he accepted that Rae was not forceful or coercive and has expressed remorse.

His lawyers went to the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh to argue the sentence was too harsh.

They said he thought the girl was 16, and did not manipulate, force or coerce her into unprotected sex.

The appeal judges also heard the girl, who cannot be named, was a “willing and active participant” in sexual intercourse.

However, appeal judges Lady Dorrian, Lord Pentland and Lord Matthews rejected the defence submissions.

In a judgment issued yesterday, Lady Dorrian said Rae’s criminal record and the fact social workers thought he was at high risk of committing another sexual offence meant Lord Beckett acted correctly.

Lady Dorrian wrote: “In the present case, the sentencing judge had before him a criminal justice social work report.”

It suggested that the appellant Rae presented a high risk of sexual reconviction, and very high risk of reconviction for a violent offence.

“The criminal justice social work report suggested that the only protective factor was that the appellant was currently incarcerated,” she added.

“There was particular concern regarding his conduct within relationships and towards females.

“The appeal must therefore be refused.”

Rae earlier admitted sexually assaulting the girl and raping her at a house in Dundee on May 15 2019 when she was aged 12.

Lord Beckett ordered he be supervised on release for two years and he should be on the sex offenders register for 10 years.

The High Court in Edinburgh.