City rapist had been out of prison for just 20 days

Criminal who carried out sex attack on teenage student and threatened to stab her is sentenced to nine and a half years behind bars

A rapist who attacked a teenage student in a Dundee car park just weeks after his release from prison is back behind bars.

Mark Arnott, 37, threatened to stab the terrified woman before carrying out the assault in West Henderson’s Wynd on November 23 last year.

He told the 18-year-old: “Come with me. I have got a knife. I will stab you.”

Arnott’s victim has now been left unable to trust anyone and is unable to go outside on her own.

Yesterday he was locked up for nine and a half years, having previously admitted the rape charge at the High Court in Glasgow.

Arnott forced the woman to have sex before he was eventually chased by a group of people who had come out of a nearby dance class.

It was previously revealed to the court that Arnott had been back on the Dundee streets for 20 days, after being released on licence for robbery – that sentence had not been due to expire until May 2020.

Judge Lord Mulholland heard how the victim was walking near the car park at about 8.10pm on November 23 and Arnott was standing nearby smoking a cigarette.

CCTV footage captured Arnott running up behind the teenager and grabbing her.

She attempted to struggle with him but was dragged into the car park and spotted a condom packet in his hand.

Advocate depute Lynsey MacDonald said: “She pleaded ‘no, no, please don’t do that to me’.”

The victim “begged” Arnott not to carry out his attack but he took no heed of her pleas for mercy, the court heard.

In a bid to keep him calm and hoping he would release her, she began talking as if the ordeal was consensual.

At around 8.35pm, the woman saw a group of people leaving the nearby Downfield Musical Society.

She screamed: “I am being raped. He is raping me.”

Arnott fled the scene and the woman was assisted by the group, some of whose members gave chase.

Arnott was traced by police on November 26 at his work after DNA evidence was obtained.

Arnott told officers during an interview that he “bumped into” the victim. He claimed they had “clicked” and that there was “canoodling”.

Arnott said she “changed” after the woman realised she had been seen, which was found to be a lie.

Mark Arnott had been freed on licence from a sentence for armed robbery when he attacked a teenage student.