Forensics hunt clues after woman’s horror sex attack

By Cara Sulieman

A WOMAN who had popped out for cigarettes was raped on her way back home.

The 34-year-old was walking back from a Scotmid in Edinburgh at around 11pm on Thursday night when she was attacked by a man who ushered her on to a side street before raping her.

Today police cordoned off Balfour Street as they scoured for clues, searching in bins and blocking off the area around where the attack took place.

Detective Chief Inspector John McKenzie said that the woman was “hysterical” after her ordeal and the police were still trying to get more information from her.

Man In Court Over Attempted Rape Of American Student

By Cara Sulieman

A MAN appeared at court today (Fri) charged with the attempted rape of an American student in Edinburgh last weekend.

Gavin Lang, 23, from Dunfermline, Fife, made no plea or declaration and was released on bail following an appearance at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.

The 22-year-old student had been out with friends on her second night in the capital when she was allegedly assaulted on her way home.

The alleged attack happened between 4am and 4.20am on Monday May 24 in Barries Close – a narrow staircase that leads up from Old Fishmarket Close to Parliament Square on the Royal Mile.

The victim, from Virginia, had only just arrived in the city and was due to spend a week in Edinburgh before going to London with other students and lecturers from her American university as part of a four-week placement in the UK.

Man Is Arrested Over Sex Attack On American Student

By Cara Sulieman

A MAN will appear at court tomorrow (Fri) charged with the alleged serious sexual assault of an American student in Edinburgh last weekend.

The student had been out with friends on her second night in the capital when she was allegedly assaulted on her way home.

The attack happened between 4am and 4.20am on Monday May 24 in Barries Close – a narrow staircase that leads up from Old Fishmarket Close to Parliament Square on the Royal Mile.

The victim, from Virginia, had only just arrived in the city and was due to spend a week in Edinburgh before going to London with other students and lecturers from her American university as part of a four-week placement in the UK.

The 23-year-old man is due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.

Scots Sex Attack Horror For American Student

By Cara Sulieman

AN American student was victim of an alleged sex attack in the early hours of this morning (mon) – just 48 hours after arriving in Scotland.

The 22-year-old black girl was out with friends on her second night in Edinburgh when the attack took place.

After spending time in various bars in the city’s popular Cowgate area, the student left Opium nightclub between 3.30am and 4.30am with a group of people including her attacker.

They first took a shortcut up Old Fishmarket Close before the suspect is said to have attacked her in Barries Close.

Police said the woman immediately alerted night security at the near Supreme Court in Parliament Square as soon as the assault ended.

She was able to give a description to detectives, saying her attacker was a 23-year-old Scot, around 6ft tall with blonde hair.

He was wearing a blue polo shirt and blue jeans at the time of the attack.

The victim – who only arrived in Edinburgh on Saturday – is described as being black African American with straight dark shoulder length hair and 5ft 2ins tall.

Scottish Children Sex Victims Every Six Hours

By Paul Thornton

A CHILD falls victim to a sexual predator at least once every six hours in Scotland, shocking new figures have revealed.

And the number is likely to be far higher than that because most Scots police forces fail to keep records discriminating between child and adult victims of the most serious sex crimes such as rape or indecent assaults.

At least 1,592 offences against children were reported in 2009 – more than four a day.

The stats showed that innocent youngsters were subjected to rape, sexual assault and lewd and libidinous behaviour across the country as well as indecent exposure and adults who use their positions of trust to abuse them.

Vile child rapist is banned from the roads

By Michael MacLeod

AN evil child rapist twice slipped through cops’ fingers during a near decade-long reign of abuse when he was caught drink driving.

Vile Mutasim Al Mutasim, 35, was caught drunk behind the wheel of his car twice in the midst of horror attacks on primary school children.

He was stopped first in September 2006 at the capital’s Duddingston Road West and later again January 2007 at Hay Avenue, where cops found him well over three times the drink-drive limit.

But police said last night they had no way of knowing he and his brother, Eldirdeery, 24, were sexually abusing girls as young as five.

It wasn’t until April 2008 that detectives snared the Sudanese dish-washer for horrific child sex offences which were described by one judge as “beyond the understanding of a caring and civilised society”.

Care home staff to be vetted after sickening sex attack

By Rory Reynolds

FULL background checks are to be carried out on all care home agency staff after a temporary worker carried out a sickening sex attack on an elderly patient.

All agency staff working in Edinburgh care homes will now be vetted after Kenyan immigrant Joseph Sinja – who had no qualifications and little training – was jailed for six years and eight months for the shocking attack.

Sinja subjected the 76-year-old woman to a vile sexual assault – while she held onto her walking frame.

She was later found shocked and in pain by another care worker, saying that the 32-year-old had “done things that her husband wouldn’t do”.

Speaking at Sinja’s sentencing, his lawyer described his client’s only training as “four days of following someone round”.

Scotland’s crime-ridden train network

By Cara Sulieman

SCOTLAND’S sprawling network of trains and stations are being plagued by drug dealers, drunkards and sex attackers, shock new figures reveal.

Hard pressed officers from British Transport Police are now dealing with almost 7000 different crimes every year – with city centre stations the main battleground.

A total of 6978 offences were committed under their jurisdiction. Of those, a staggering 1482 serious crimes and 2870 petty offences actually happened aboard rail or subway carriages last year.

Scotland’s most dangerous station has been revealed as Glasgow Central – with a frightening 548 crimes reported there between 2007 and 2008.

Fifteen year old arrested over North Berwick rape

By Cara Sulieman

A 15-year-old boy has been arrested by police in connection with the alleged rape of a young woman in a popular Scots seaside town.

Detectives detained and charged the suspect yesterday – a little more than a week after the sickening attack took place.

He has also been charged with an earlier serious sexual assault in the town on Sunday, July 19.

The youth is expected to appear at Haddington Sheriff Court today.

Banned rape computer game still available on internet

By Alexander Lawrie and Michael McLeod

A BANNED Japanese computer game that lets players simulate raping girls is still available on the internet.

RapeLay casts players into the role of a violent sex maniac, and centers on a male character that stalks and rapes a mother and her two daughters.

Now politicians have slammed the computer rape game after all UK outlets, including Amazon and eBay, banned people from buying the sick game in February

Keith Vaz MP called the game’s content “utterly shocking” during a recent debate in Parliament.

Since the UK-wide ban it has now leaked back onto the internet, with online sites such as Rapidshare and Files Tube offering it as a free download.

Reviews state that players can interact with virtual girls using the mouse cursor, and even gang up with up to five online gamers to attack virtual victims.