Rapist jailed for five years

A RAPIST who pounced on a shop assistant in broad daylight on a busy footpath was told that his brutal attack was "the stuff of nightmares".

Jailing Andrew Hamilton for five years and four months yesterday a judge blasted his claims of remorse as shallow and superficial.

Only his plea of guilty had saved him from a longer sentence, said Lord Tyre.

The High Court in Edinburgh had heard how Hamilton, 23, of Linnet Brae, Livingston, left his victim so hysterical that she was unable to speak when a former school friend tried to help her.

Passing sentence, Lord Tyre said: "This is the stuff of nightmares for many women. The consequences have been serious. She is afraid to go out because of the memory of what you did to her that day."