Family of North Berwick rape victim “devastated” by horror attack

By Shaun Milne

THE FAMILY of an 18-year-old girl brutally raped in North Berwick have made an emotional appeal for help in catching her attacker.

She was assaulted outside Blenheim House Hotel in the early hours of Tuesday and only escaped when a passer-by came to her aid.

In a statement issued through Lothian and Borders Police, they spoke of the horror the young woman had been put through.

They said: “Why anyone should want to inflict such pain upon a fellow human is hard for us all to comprehend.

“We are anxious that the person who did this is caught.

“We are appealing for people to come forward with any information they might have that can help police find the man who attacked our daughter.”

Algebra tech vows to nail North Berwick rapist after horror attack

By Cara Sulieman

A SEX fiend who violently raped a teenage girl in a sleepy seaside town is being hunted by one of Scotland’s top cops.

Detective Inspector Stuart Hood – who headed Operation Algebra which cracked Scotland’s worst ever paedophile ring – has vowed to catch the attacker who left his 18-year-old victim “devastated and hysterical”.

The sickened detective told how the young woman had been walking home from friends along the High Street in North Berwick at around 12.40am this morning when she was pounced upon.

VOW: DI Stuart Hood

She had noticed two men standing outside the town’s Quarterdeck Pub which was closed at the time and, after crossing the road, was followed by one of them.

Grabbed

The other stayed behind. As she noticed the man closing in on her, he grabbed her and pushed her up against the wall outside the Blenheim House Hotel.

The terrified victim was then dragged into a lane between the hotel and a branch of RBS where she was brutally assaulted.

The attack was described by police as “very violent” and lasted for five to six minutes during which time the terrified victim sustained injuries.

It wasn’t until a passer-by came to her aid that the ordeal ended and the suspect fled.

Police appeal for photos of sex attack suspect

By Oliver Farrimond

DETECTIVES hunting a man in a rugby top who raped a girl at the Royal Highland Show are appealing for party-goers to send them photographs from the event to help catch him.

Police think that other revellers may have accidentally caught the suspect on camera, as they search for clues as to the whereabouts of the attacker.

The girl was sexually assaulted during the Young Farmers Ball in the early hours of Saturday morning, near portable toilets outside the marquee.

The suspect is described as being white, in his mid to late 20s and around 5ft 10ins in height.

Six thousand suspected criminals on the run in Scotland

By Cara Sulieman

JUSTICE Secretary Kenny Mackaskill was yesterday  accused of “losing grip” on crime after it was revealed almost 6,000 suspected criminals are on the run in Scotland as police fail to fulfil their warrants.

They include those feared to have committed some of the most serious crimes in the country including five outstanding warrants for murder, eight for attempted murder, six for rape and one for attempted rape.

The vast majority of others are for so called lesser crimes such as breach of the peace and road traffic offences.

But astonishingly, the figures could be just the tip of the iceberg as three of Scotland’s police forces admit they do not keep an easily accessible record of what crimes each outstanding warrant is for.

Dangerous criminals on the run

By Cara Sulieman

MORE than 1,400 criminals are on the run in the Lothian area – including those accused of rape, attempted murder and abduction.

Most face warrants for failing to appear at court with many thought to have gone missing whilst on bail.

But the list also includes five alleged rapists and 175 people facing assault charges, including sexual assaults and for attacking children.

Police believe many of them will have fled the country, making them harder to track down.

Woman raped for seven hours in horrific sex den attack

By Michael MacLeod

A WOMAN was raped for seven hours after being blinded by a noxious spray as she walked home in broad daylight.

Two men, described as Eastern European, dragged the helpless 24 year-old Australian national from an underpass into a den in bushes at 3pm on Monday.
Police say she suffered a “sustained sexual assault” which they believe was premeditated.

She eventually escaped at 10pm after bravely talking the thugs into letting her go.

The pair struck as she walked from Edinburgh’s Fountainbridge leisure complex towards Dalry, close to Heart of Midlothian’s Tynecastle football ground.

Her ordeal has sparked a manhunt for the pair, with 30 police officers dedicated to the investigation.

The attack took place behind a Lidl supermarket opposite a primary school, a playpark and a 24-hour garage.

One of the men cops are looking for was wearing a blue raincoat emblazoned with ‘New Zealand.’

He is around 6ft tall, of medium build with a dark shaved head and bad teeth, while the other man is shorter in height, with short blonde hair, and was wearing a black waterproof jacket with knitted sleeves.

The victim is now recovering at her home in Edinburgh.

Police are appealing for anyone who was in the area at the time, or who uses the underpass regularly, to come forward if they recognise the description of the suspects.

Eric Milligan, a local councillor and former provost for the capital said he was “absolutely gobsmacked” that nobody witnessed the attack.

He said: “I find it astonishing that this has happened in broad daylight.

“The tunnel is normally very busy as it is in between one of Edinburgh’s most densely populated and a large cinema and bowling complex.

“Horrible things happen in life but when you hear of an attack like this in a city like Edinburgh you can’t help to be very distressed.

“It does make you wonder if anybody witnessed this, why did they not help the girl?”

The victim did not require hospital treatment but police said she suffered injuries “consistent with the attack.”

Superintendant Allan Jones said: “The trauma she has went through was unbelievable. Despite this protracted series of attacks in a makeshift den she has maintained a form of dialogue which allowed her to be in the position where she has contributed to her release.

“It is very commendable the way she has behaved during this traumatic set of circumstances.

“I would not describe it as a kiddie’s den that is for sure. We will be pursuing this vigourously.”

He confirmed that police were carrying out door to door enquiries and have been in touch with local businesses to view CCTV footage of the area.