Scottish preacher convicted of rape begins appeal

A SCOTTISH preacher, jailed for 20 years for raping an eleven year-old girl in America, has launched an appeal against his conviction.
Malcolm Fraser will begin his appeal against a 20-year prison sentence for sexual assault. Picture: ContributedMalcolm Fraser will begin his appeal against a 20-year prison sentence for sexual assault. Picture: Contributed
Malcolm Fraser will begin his appeal against a 20-year prison sentence for sexual assault. Picture: Contributed

Malcolm Fraser, 41, who is originally from Elgin in Moray, was found guilty in May of this year of first-degree child rape and two counts of first-degree molestation at a court in Washington State. He was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment with a minimum sentence of 18 years before he can be considered for parole.

But it has now been revealed that Fraser is to appeal against his conviction, claiming there were errors in his trial and that his religious beliefs should not have been disclosed to the jury.

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His trial head how Fraser assaulted the girl over a period of more than a year while he and his wife, Julie, were living with her family in Enumclaw, Washington State, eight years ago.

Fraser and his wife had been placed with the family by the Sound Doctrine Church on the orders of its leader, Timothy Williams, to put the girl through a manners “boot camp.”

Fraser was an assistant pastor with the Church. He had joined the Church after travelling from Scotland to visit the Sound Doctrine Church in the Enumclaw in 2001.

Fraser had previously lived in Aberdeen for five years while he studied English at Aberdeen University and previously attended Elgin Baptist Church and New Elgin Church of God.

During the trial the child’s mother claimed Fraser and Timothy Williams had instigated the boot camp because they claimed her children were “rude and vile and made people vomit.”

The rape victim, now 18, told jurors the abuse began when Fraser went into her room at night, covered her mouth with his hand and told her to be quiet.

She claimed Fraser had repeatedly visited her bedroom and abused her and had threatened “to hurt her or her mother” when she tried to stop him. She told the court: “He would tell me I was crazy and sometimes he would say things like because of my dark skin I was prettier.

“I felt ashamed because I felt I was dirty and not pure anymore…. I just wanted someone to save me.”

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Church officials had condemned the allegations against Fraser throughout the court proceedings, claiming they amounted to a “hate crime against an entire church.”

Fraser’s lawyers claimed Fraser was not living in the house at the time of the alleged abuse and that the police investigation was biased against the Sound Doctrine Church.

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