Five years for rapist

A father-of-four who subjected a vulnerable woman to a brutal rape ordeal during a sex attack was jailed for five years on Monday.

Aidan O’Connor’s victim was left “scared of men” and frightened to leave her house following the sexual assault.

A judge told O’Connor (27) at the High Court in Edinburgh: “Rape is always a serious crime.”

Judge Simon Collins KC said there were a number of aggravating features in the offence, including that the victim was “plainly a vulnerable person”.

He said that the woman revealed that she was left frightened to leave the house, depressed, scared of men and unable to socialise following the attack on her.

O’Connor, formerly of Beechwood Road, Blackburn, in West Lothian, had denied raping the woman during an earlier trial but was found guilty of the sex crime.

He attacked the woman at an address in Bathgate, West Lothian, on September 15 in 2019. During the assault he pulled her hair, shoulders and clothing and restrained her.

The woman was pushed onto the floor and her lower clothing was taken off in the rape attack.

The court heard that despite the jury’s verdict, O’Connor continued to maintain that he was innocent.

Defence solicitor advocate Graeme Brown said that O’Connor was in a longterm relationship and has four children under the age of nine.

He said O’Connor has a criminal record both in this country and in Ireland, but not for sexual offending.

Mr Brown said the rape conviction was “an isolated offence” in terms of his criminal record.

O’Connor was freed on bail at Livingston Sheriff Court five days before committing the rape.

He was told that following his sentencing he will be placed on the sex offenders’ register for an indefinite period.