A rapist who snatched a teenage girl from a bus stop before raping her in a basement has been told he may never leave prison. Aaron Strachan, 21, was sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh after pleading guilty to the attack and two other assaults.
Attack on 15-year-old girl
Strachan spotted the victim at a bus stop in Edinburgh city centre in the early hours of May 25 last year. The girl felt uneasy and walked away, but Strachan followed her, his face covered by a balaclava. He approached her at a second bus stop, threatened her with a knife, and forced her to a basement on York Place. There, he blocked the door with wooden pallets and raped her.
Other assaults and escape
Two days later, on May 28, Strachan stabbed a man in an unprovoked attack in the South Bridge area and struck another man with a hammer in High Riggs, leaving him semi-conscious and suffering seizures. After being convicted, Strachan slipped his hand out of handcuffs and fled while being led to a prison van. He was recaptured hours later.
Sentence and judge's comments
Judge Michael O'Grady KC imposed an order for lifelong restriction with a minimum of five years in custody. He told Strachan: 'You are likely to remain in prison for many years, if indeed you are ever released.' The judge described the crime as 'bestial' and said Strachan 'left his lair and went out hunting for a vulnerable victim.'
The court heard Strachan had 18 previous appearances on 38 charges, eight involving weapons. His lawyer Simon Collins said the escape was 'a moment of impulsiveness' after noticing the handcuffs were not tight enough.
