Aaron Strachan, 21, has been handed an order for lifelong restriction after abducting and raping a 15-year-old girl at knifepoint in a dingy Edinburgh basement. The judge told him he may never be released from prison.
Attack on a teenage victim
On May 25 last year, Strachan approached the 15-year-old victim as she waited at a bus stop in Edinburgh city centre in the early hours. After she felt uneasy and walked away towards Princes Street, Strachan followed her, his face covered by a balaclava. He then ran towards her at a second bus stop, brandishing a knife and threatening to harm her. Seizing her by the shoulders, he forcibly led her to a basement on York Place, where he blocked the door with wooden pallets before raping her.
Additional violent assaults
Strachan also stabbed a man in an unprovoked attack in the South Bridge area and attacked another man with a hammer in High Riggs on May 28. The judge described these as carried out on 'virtual strangers'. The hammer attack left the victim semi-conscious and suffering seizures.
Escape from custody
After being convicted, Strachan slipped his hand out of handcuffs and fled while being led to a prison van. A major police search was launched, and he was recaptured in the city a few hours later. He pleaded guilty to attempting to defeat the ends of justice on Monday.
Judge's condemnation
At the High Court in Edinburgh on Monday, Judge Michael O'Grady KC imposed an order for lifelong restriction with a minimum period of five years in custody. He told Strachan: 'The word predatory is perhaps overused in these courts, but it is an inescapable adjective to describe this truly bestial crime. You left your lair and went out hunting for a vulnerable victim.'
The judge added that Strachan's actions were 'the stuff of nightmares for every woman and every young girl, and every parent who waits at home for their child to return home safely.' Strachan's criminal record includes 18 previous court appearances related to 38 charges, eight involving weapons possession.
Legal and police responses
Faye Cook, procurator fiscal for High Court sexual offences, said: 'Aaron Strachan's actions in abducting his victim before raping her were calculated, predatory and caused profound harm.' Detective Inspector Gillian Wells from Edinburgh's Sex Offender Policing Unit added: 'This was a particularly harrowing attack... I hope this sentence brings her some sense of closure.'
