Student ‘ambassador’ is convicted of rape
Held privileged position at university
A student ‘ambassador’ who boasted that he was going to sleep with 100 women at Stirling University has been convicted of rape.
Duncan Burns held a privileged position as an accommodation liaison officer at the university.
But a jury heard evidence that Burns was a sexual predator who forced himself on a young female student – who he met on Tinder – after arranging early morning meetings with her.
His victim, who was aged 20 at the time, said she went back to her flat and “Googled the definition of rape”.
Speaking through tears, she said: “I always perceived rape to be more like with a stranger or with violence.
“I knew I’d said no and he knew I was saying no. I had no doubts in my mind, but don’t think at the time I knew it was rape.”
The jury heard evidence that the woman and another female, who also had sex with Burns, went to the police with almost identical stories about how he had abused them, physically, verbally and sexually before ultimately raping them.
However the jury returned a majority verdict on the charge of raping the younger woman. They found Burns not guilty of raping the second woman on two separate occasions.
Giving evidence from behind a screen at the High Court at Livingston the woman he raped, now aged 22, told how Burns used his superior strength to have intercourse with her against their will.
She said she repeatedly told him ‘no’ and tried in vain to push him off.
She alleged that he raped her in one of the university’s halls of residence on March 23, 2016.
After confirming on Google that sex without consent was rape, she alerted the university authorities, and the police were contacted.
The jury heard she was in a “distressed state” when she told friends and university officials what Burns had done to her.
Burns, 24, of Birkhill, Angus, lodged special defences claiming any sexual contact he had with the two females was with their consent.
Deferring sentence until November 29 for background reports, Judge Lord Mulholland told Burns: “You’ve been convicted of a charge of rape. This is a very serious matter.
“You had sexual intercourse with (a woman) without her consent despite her making it plain to you she didn’t want sex with you.
“You ignored her wishes and used force to have sexual intercourse with her without her consent.
“The court takes a very serious view of such criminal conduct.”
Fo l l owing the verd i c t a spokesperson for the university said: “Sexual assault and harassment will not be tolerated anywhere at Stirling, and we condemn the actions of the individual.
“We have robust procedures and appropriate support in place to report instances of sexual misconduct. All students are entitled to enjoy a positive experience at university, and we are committed to creating a safe environment on our campus.”
The spokesperson confirmed that Burns was suspended by the university in July 2016.