Life sentence for convicted rapist who murdered Dundee mother

• Patrick Rae killed Mary McLaren after a night out in Dundee last year

Patrick Rae, 41, strangled Ms McLaren and dumped her body in undergrowth after meeting the 34 year old at a Dundee nightclub in 2010.

A jury found Rae guilty of rape and murder today following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh, the Crown Office confirmed.

He was ordered to spend at least 20 years behind bars before being eligible for parole.

Passing sentence, judge Lord Tyre told Rae: "You were seen walking with her through the streets of Dundee and the last image of her alive was captured on CCTV near the Ladywell Roundabout. Shortly afterwards you viciously raped and strangled her, leaving her body to be found many days later beneath a covering of ivy in woodland beside that same roundabout.

"Since then you have persistently lied about your involvement in her murder. You have attempted to adapt your story to fit the facts as they have emerged to incriminate you. To this day you have shown no remorse for what you did.

"The horror and terror that Mary McLaren must have experienced during your murderous attack on her can only be imagined."

Lord Tyre said that, when deciding upon the sentence, he took account of the fact that Rae has previous convictions in Ireland for offences including rape. The Irishman was also placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Ms McLaren went missing after a night out with her sister at Fat Sams nightclub in Dundee on February 25 last year. Her body was found on an embankment near the city's Ladywell roundabout about two weeks later.

Speaking after today's verdict, Ms McLaren's family spoke of their pain at the loss of the "much-loved" woman.

In a statement, they said: "No sentence will stop the nightmares that we all have thinking about how Mary must have suffered at the hands of this man.

"We miss Mary; we always will. She was at the heart of this family when she was with us and remains there now. She loved us. We love her still and cannot believe that she is no longer with us."

The verdict followed one of the longest missing person inquiries carried out in Dundee.

• Read more about this story in The Scotsman tomorrow