Violent rapist targeted disabled 84-year-old Fife widow in her own home

An armed intruder who carried out a horrific rape attack on an elderly widow in her home was could face a life sentence for the appalling crime.

Kyle McKenzie, 23, mercilessly subjected his victim to the sex ordeal despite the 84-year-old victim telling him: "You are going to kill me."

He donned a balaclava and rubber gloves before breaking into the house in Glenrothes, Fife, in June 2020.

The ordeal only ended with the OAP managed to access her community alarm to summon help.

Details of the horrific sex attack were heard at the High Court in Edinburgh.

McKenzie previously admitted breaking into the woman's home and assaulting and raping her. He also pled guilty to breaking into the home of another elderly woman in the Fife town on the same night and stealing a decanter from her house.

A judge at the High Court in Edinburgh warned Kyle that he was considering imposing an Order for Lifelong Restriction(OLR).

Under an OLR the court fixes a minimum term that the offender must serve in prison, but he can only be released when he no longer poses a threat.

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Lord Boyd of Duncansby told McKenzie: "The level of violence which you used in this case was really quite extreme."

He said the victim was an elderly, disabled woman and that there was "a degree of preparation" in the offence with the wearing of a mask and gloves and arming himself with a weapon, a garden tool.

The court heard that the victim had gone to bed after leaving a bedroom window open by an inch when she was wakened about 5 am with covers being pulled from her body.

Advocate depute Graeme Jessop said: "She observed a male wearing all black clothing and a balaclava brandishing a garden tool. He stated: 'Don't scream, don't resist.'"

But the pensioner began to struggle and was repeatedly punched in the head. McKenzie put his hands on her chest which restricted her breathing.

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During the assault the woman remembered her community alarm and decided to ask her assailant to move her to the bed from the floor so she could access it.

McKenzie assisted her onto the bed and she managed to reach an alarm bracelet above the headboard and activate it.

An alarm team employee contacted her and she said: "Please send someone as quickly as you can. I've just been raped. Somebody's broken into the house, please hurry, please."

McKenzie escaped through the bedroom window but was arrested weeks later after police went to the home of a known associate of his in Kirkcaldy, in Fife.

As he was being transferred to Kirkcaldy police station he said: "Allegation of rape, that'll ruin me. Are the papers gonna know my name?"

Prior to McKenzie admitting the offences he had tendered not guilty pleas at an earlier stage in proceedings and indicated he intended to rely on a special defence of consent over the rape charge.

Defence solicitor advocate Krista Johnston told Lord Boyd: "He has little recollection of events. He was at the end of a long binge session."

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