MSP demands urgent inquiry into attacker

Published on Thursday 28 January 2010 21:16

THE case of a sex offender who attempted to murder a woman so he could abduct and rape her granddaughters has prompted calls for an investigation.

Ryan Yates, 29, attacked the 60-year-old woman with a knife, but she fought back to protect her granddaughters, who were aged two and eight.

Yates carried out the attack five days after he was released from jail for a sexual offence. And two days before the offence the authorities had secured a court order banning him from accosting females in public.

Yates admitted attempting to murder the woman with intent to abduct and rape the children in Westfield Park, Bridge of Don, Aberdeen, on 14 October last year.

After details of the case were revealed, Labour justice spokesman Richard Baker said: "There needs to be a full, immediate investigation into why this individual was not being monitored more closely by both the police and the social work department."

He added: "This man was only thwarted thanks to the bravery of the victim."

Detective Superintendent Brian Yule said: "At the time of his arrest, Yates had fully complied with all the conditions relating to his registration and our officers had visited him regularly in the days after his release."

A Scottish Government spokesman said since devolution there had been "significant reforms to how sex offenders are managed".