Rapist who subjected prostitute to 'horrific' hammer attack faces life

Published on Tuesday 31 August 2010 18:20

A MAN who abducted, raped and tried to murder a prostitute is facing a life in prison.

Ewan Mackay, 30, beat the woman, 28, about the head with a hammer, inflicting "horrific" injuries.

Eight years ago, Mackay was spared a jail sentence for attempting to strangle a young woman when he was found to suffer from a sleep disorder and had been re-enacting a dream.

Yesterday, a judge at the High Court in Edinburgh called for reports on Mackay, which could lead to an order for lifelong restriction, under which he may be kept in prison indefinitely.

Rita Rae, QC, told Mackay: "Clearly, there must be very grave concerns about the danger you may present to members of the public."

Mackay, of Glenmore, Whitburn, West Lothian, admitted raping the woman and attempting to murder her on 6 December last year. She was working as a prostitute and got into Mackay's car near the docks at Leith in the early hours.

He drove her to an industrial estate and they left the vehicle. He grabbed her by the throat and tried to force himself on her, becoming increasingly angry. The woman lost consciousness and next realised she was in the boot of a moving car.

The car stopped at a wooded area. She begged Mackay to let her go and managed to run off in the direction of a road.

"She did not get very far … he began hitting her over the head … with an implement. Blood poured into her eyes," said the advocate-depute, Kath Harper.

"She describes him as very angry and 'going crazy'. She attempted to run off … he hit her repeatedly on the legs. She fell to the ground and rolled up into a ball. She was dragged back to the car and realised he had been hitting her with a claw hammer."

The woman was raped a second time, before being put back into the boot. Mackay took her to his home. As he ordered her out, he saw blood on the carpet and said: "Look what you have done to my car."

In the house, he taped her mouth and her wrists behind her back, forced her at knifepoint upstairs, and filled the bath. He told her to get in and joined her in the bath.

"She was crying, thinking he was going to kill her. She was trying to scream and struggle. She heard a noise. He said, 'You've woke my son'. He became angry," added Ms Harper.

The boy, six, had been alone in the house.

Mackay said he was taking the woman away, and she could not remember dressing, but found herself in the passenger seat of his car. He drove slowly out the driveway and along the street, and she took the chance to jump out and bang on a door. It was 6:50am. She was taken to hospital, and found to have a fractured skull and fractures to both hands.Also, she had multiple blood clots in her right lung.

The judge commented: "Pretty horrific injuries."

Mackay had returned home and did not reply when police attended. An officer saw through the letterbox that Mackay was drinking from a bottle and holding a large knife. He appeared to have slashed his wrist. He surrendered after about three hours.

In 2002, Mackay, then living in Dingwall, Easter Ross, tried to strangle a woman, 18, who had been drinking with him in his car. He "awoke" and came to his senses as he was pulling one of his socks around her neck.

The judge, Lord Bonomy, was told by experts that Mackay had a sleep disorder which could cause him to act violently. He was put on probation, ordered to undergo treatment and pay his victim 3,000.