Rapist "fascinated " by blood jailed for life

A rapist who carried out a catalogue of attacks against young women was given a life sentence today and warned he may never be released back into the community.

Hector MacLennan, 30, attacked three women in Inverness and Ross-shire over a nine-year period.

A jury convicted him last year of two charges of rape, four serious assaults and a sex attack. They heard he slashed two of his victims with scissors because he had a fascination for watching them bleed.

In a separate attack, he held a poker over his victim's face and threatened to burn her eyes out.

At the High Court in Edinburgh today, judge Lord Woolman imposed an order for lifelong restriction on MacLennan and ordered him to spend a minimum of five years behind bars.

The order means MacLennan will only be released from prison by the parole board if they deem it is safe to do so.

Lord Woolman told MacLennan: "Let me emphasise again that that does not mean that you will be released after five years. It is the minimum period that you must serve before you can be considered for parole.

"There is a possibility that you may never be released back into the community."

MacLennan, from the Highlands, was also found guilty of downloading child pornography.