Chilling CCTV footage has been released showing the moments a rapist stalked his teenage victim through Edinburgh before abducting her at knifepoint and dragging her to a basement where he carried out a sex attack.
Aaron Strachan, 21, was captured in a tracksuit with his hood up lurking behind the frightened 15-year-old girl in different parts of the city centre as she desperately tried to get away after becoming alarmed by his behaviour in the early hours of May 25 last year.
Escape from Court Custody
After pleading guilty to the rape, the predator later sparked a major police manhunt after dramatically escaping from custody while being escorted from the Court of Session to a prison van following a hearing. Footage of the escape shows him being led out of the building where a vehicle is waiting. He then manages to escape the clutches of a custody officer, making a run for it as staff scramble after him. He was recaptured by officers just hours later.
Sentenced to Life Restriction
The chilling footage has been released after Strachan was handed an Order for Lifelong Restriction (OLR) at the High Court in Edinburgh on Monday. The indefinite sentence means he will serve at least five years behind bars before he can even be considered for parole - and he may never be released due to the danger he poses to the public.
The court heard the victim had been waiting at a bus stop in Edinburgh city centre when Strachan, wearing a balaclava, approached her. Feeling uneasy, the schoolgirl walked away towards Princes Street where more members of the public were gathered in the hope of finding safety. But CCTV showed Strachan continuing to follow her from a distance before suddenly running towards her as she sat at another bus stop.
Details of the Attack
Brandishing a knife, he threatened to harm the teenager before grabbing her by the shoulders and forcing her to the basement of a building on York Place. Once inside, Strachan blocked the door with wooden pallets to stop the terrified girl escaping before raping her. The attacker, who had never met his victim before, was identified after detectives recovered his DNA from the scene.
Police later spotted Strachan on Dalry Road on June 1. He tried to flee from officers but was found hiding in nearby shrubbery and arrested. Strachan admitted the rape at the High Court in December last year. He also pleaded guilty to repeatedly stabbing a man in the hand during an unprovoked knife attack just hours before the rape, causing severe injury. Days later, on May 28, he struck another man on the head with a claw hammer in an attack carried out to the danger of the victim's life.
Court Remarks
His sentencing was delayed before he escaped from custody on January 13 this year while leaving court in Edinburgh, triggering an extensive police search before he was caught a short time later. Sentencing Strachan on Monday, Judge O'Grady imposed an Order for Lifelong Restriction and warned the 21-year-old he may never be released because of the serious risk he poses.
Following the hearing, Procurator Fiscal for High Court Sexual Offences Faye Cook said: "Aaron Strachan's actions in abducting his victim before raping her were calculated, predatory, and caused profound harm. Although this type of stranger offending is rare, this conviction reflects the gravity of his crimes and the commitment of prosecutors and police to bring him to justice. Sexual violence and the use of weapons to intimidate and harm have no place in our society. We will continue to take action against perpetrators while supporting victims throughout the prosecution process."
