Renfrew rapist jailed for five years

A Renfrew rapist who carried out a sex attack on a woman in her own home after meeting her for the first time was jailed for five years yesterday.

Andon Diamanti struggled with the victim before subjecting her to the traumatic sexual assault at an address in Dumfries.

A judge at the High Court in Edinburgh pointed out that, although Diamanti had some previous contact with the 60-year-old woman, it was the first occasion he met her in person.

Lord Arthurson told the sex offender:

“A significant custodial sentence is clearly merited in this case.”

Diamanti, of Beardmore Cottages, Old Greenock Road, had earlier denied assaulting the woman and subjecting her to oral rape on November 5 in 2021 but was found guilty of the crime.

The Albanian national claimed at his trial that it was a consensual sexual encounter and continued to maintain that to a social worker preparing a background report on him, despite a jury rejecting his account.

The court heard that Diamanti was assessed as posing a low risk of further offending.

Defence counsel Paul Nelson KC said Diamanti has“a limited record”of previous offending in this country and had informed him he has no convictions from Albania or Greece where he also lived before coming to the UK.

He said:“He understands that the court will visit upon him a period of custody.

“Having now attained the age of 49, he has now committed a crime of the most gravity.”

Diamanti was told he would be placed on the sex offenders’register indefinitely following his sentencing.