You are a sexual fiend, judge tells serial rapist

John MacIntosh, 46, of Ding-wall, was locked up yesterday following his conviction by jury of four serious sexual offences.

At the High Court in Aberdeen, judge Lord Uist said MacIntosh targeted vulnerable females.

MacIntosh had previously been jailed for seven years for having sex with 13 and 14-year-old girls.

The offences tried at the High Court in Aberdeen happened in the Inverness and Dingwall areas between 1996 and 2004.

In his sentencing statement, Lord Uist said: “You have been convicted by the jury of four very serious sexual offences.”

They involved the sexual assault and attempted rape of a nine-year-old girl “on various occasions”, the rape of the woman with whom MacIntosh was living at the time, and the rape of a woman with whom he had a short-term relationship.

The judge also referred to a fourth charge which involved the rape of a woman on various occasions.

Lord Uist concluded: “You targeted vulnerable females in order to gratify your carnal lust.

“You have called all these women liars and shown no remorse for what you did.”

He added: “It is clear to me that you have no respect for women and are a sexual fiend.

“I am satisfied from the evidence which I have heard in the course of this trial and from your previous conviction for two sexual offences resulting in seven years imprisonment that you constitute a serious danger to women.”

In passing sentence, Lord Uist said that it was not a given that MacIntosh would be released after ten years, and that it would be for the parole board to decide when they were satisfied he was no longer a threat to the public.

Police welcomed the life sentence yesterday.

Detective Inspector Eddie Ross, of the domestic abuse investigation unit, said the case had first been brought to the attention of police by the NHS.

He said: “The most important people in all this are the victims and I must pay tribute to them in both coming forward to the police and staying with the prosecution process to conviction.

“I hope that this result will bring some comfort to the victims in this case and give confidence to anyone who has suffered similar experiences to come forward in the knowledge that their case will be sensitively and thoroughly investigated.”

He said the case was the second significant sentence handed out in the space of a week to  rapists who have been the target of his unit.

He said: “These cases are difficult to investigate and progress to a satisfactory outcome. However, these results stand as testimony to the dedication of these small teams.”