Rapist who is 'stuff of nightmares for women' gets 5 years

A MAN who carried out a terrifying daylight rape of a teenager has been jailed for five years and four months and told his crime was "the stuff of nightmares of many women".

Andrew Hamilton grabbed the 18-year-old from behind as she emerged from an underpass near a hospital in Livingston, West Lothian, and ignored her pleas to stop. The woman has been left traumatised by her ordeal and believes it will haunt her for the rest of her life.

Lord Tyre told Hamilton at the High Court in Edinburgh that he had committed a "particularly horrific offence".

He added: "This is the stuff of the nightmares of many women who, sadly, fear being attacked when they require to walk around towns and cities alone."

Hamilton, 23, of Linnet Brae, Livingston, had been warned at an earlier hearing that he faced the possibility of an order for lifelong restriction, under which he could have been kept in custody indefinitely.

However, Lord Tyre yesterday decided such a sentence was unnecessary, although measures would be taken to protect the public. Hamilton would be supervised for five years at the end of his jail term, and he would remain on the sex offenders' register for life.

"It is clear from reports that, as matters stand, and without treatment while you are in prison and supervision following your release, there is a high risk of you offending again," said Lord Tyre.

Hamilton admitted raping the woman on 12 May at a path in Howden West Road, Livingston, near St John's Hospital.

The woman, a shop assistant, had decided to walk home because it was a nice day. At about 4:15pm, she was "dawdling along" listening to music on headphones and texting her sister when she became aware of someone walking behind her.

"She was unconcerned at this point as the path was usually quite busy," said the advocate-depute, Paul Kearney.

The woman went through an underpass and realised the man was picking up speed. She moved to the side to let him past, but he suddenly grabbed her by the arms.

"Initially, she thought it must be one of her friends larking about, but soon realised she was wrong," added Mr Kearney.

Hamilton told the woman to hand over her mobile phone. He began pulling at her clothes. She was terrified and begged him to stop, saying: "Please don't." He then raped her. The woman got to the main road and noticed a friend, and hugged her. She broke down and it took five or six minutes to calm her enough that she was able to say anything.

"She asked the friend to use her phone so she could phone her dad. She tried to use it, but was crying so much she was unable to do so.Her state of distress was such that, for a time, she could not remember her own home telephone number," said Mr Kearney.

A passing ambulance was flagged down, and the police were alerted. Swabs taken at the scene contained DNA which matched Hamilton's profile.

He had three relatively minor previous convictions and his profile had been stored on the national database.

The defence solicitor-advocate, Richard Goddard, said Hamilton had intended only to steal the woman's phone, but "matters escalated horribly". Lord Tyre said reports suggested Hamilton's remorse might be shallow and superficial.