Rapist jailed for sex abuse of vulnerable women

Kenneth Ramsay has been jailed. Picture: Ciaran Donnelly

Kenneth Ramsay, 61, targeted two victims - both of whom suffer from learning disabilities - at various locations across the Capital from 2005.

It took a jury at the High Court in Edinburgh one day to find Ramsay - who worked as a caretaker at a sheltered housing complex - guilty of repeatedly sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl and sexually assaulting and raping a 62-year-old woman.

This morning, the father-of-three was sentenced to 12 years in prison at the High Court in Glasgow.

At the High Court in Glasgow judge Lord Armstrong told Ramsay: “You used these two women for your own sexual gratification. Your conduct was callous, manipulative and predatory. This has been rightly described as repellant.

“This was a course of conduct against two women you knew to be suffering from significant learning difficulties.

“The younger woman you sexually abused from the age of 14 to 18 and the second woman who you knew was of low intelligence and suggestible, you repeatedly raped her in her own home.

“You course of conduct only ceased when she was able to tell her support worker.

“You continue to deny these offences and appear to lack any real concern for the victims.”

Lord Armstrong ordered Ramsay to be monitored in the community for three years after his release from prison and placed him on the sex offenders’ register.

The trial heard that Ramsay sexually abused the girl and told her not to tell anyone.

The 62-year-old woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was targeted between July 2005 and July 2009.

The woman first met Ramsay when he went to Edinburgh home to fix her television but he returned on a number of occasions to sexually abuse and rape her.

She said in evidence: “He used to come to the door every day,” she said. “Some days I wouldn’t answer because I wasn’t wanting it to happen every day.”

Advocate depute Alison di Rollo, prosecuting, said that Ramsay thought he was “untouchable” .

She added: “He targeted and exploited two vulnerable women with learning difficulties for his own base desires and sexual gratification.”

Ramsay didn’t give evidence during the trial and continues to protest his innocence.

Solicitor advocate Leanne McQuillan, representing Ramsay, told the court: “Mr Ramsay has two grown-up children and is separated from his wife. Notwithstanding his denial of these offences he is prepared to co-operate with any programmes in prison.”