Prison for Bonnnybridge sex offender who raped young woman while she slept

Gordon McFarlane, 55, began his assault on the victim at a house in Denny while she was still asleep and then continued the attack after she woke up.

McFarlane, formerly of Dunure Crescent, Bonnybridge, also sent sexualised images to the woman.

Appearing at the High Court in Edinburgh today, he was told only a sentence of imprisonment was appropriate for his offences.

Judge Fiona Tait added the young woman McFarlance attacked should be commended for giving evidence to help convict him during a trial at the High Court in Livingston after he denied a series of charges.

He was found guilty of the rape committed in December 2019 and of sexual communications which took place between October 2020 and September 2021.

The woman phoned a friend after the attack crying and said she could not believe what happened to her.

She said she could not tell her friend the details because it was "disgusting" but identified McFarlane as the perpetrator.

Defence solicitor Wendy Culross told the court: “He understands he has to accept the verdict of the jury, while he maintains his innocence."

She added that, although McFarlane had a criminal record, it was not for sexual offending.

The defence counsel said that he was willing to take part in offence-focused work. She added a background report prepared on him documented "significant negative childhood experiences".

Judge Tait sent McFarlane to prison for seven years and informed him he will be on the sex offenders' register indefinitely.

Police Scotland welcomed the prison sentence.

Detective Inspector Forbes Wilson, of Forth Valley Public Protection Unit, said: “McFarlane will now have to face the consequences of his actions and I hope this sentence provides some form of comfort for his victim.

“We are committed to bringing those responsible for sexual crimes to justice. We will continue to work alongside our partners to support victims and ensure offenders are brought to justice.”

Anyone who wants to report a sexual crime to Police Scotland can call 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.