Rapist former policeman jailed for 14 years over catalogue of Inverness-shire sex offences
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A FORMER policeman has been jailed for 14 years for a catalogue of rape and sex abuse against three women in the Inverness area.
David Cunningham (60), a father-of-five from Farr, committed the offences described by judge Lord Armstrong as “controlling and coercive” over a 14-year period.
As he was led from the courtroom yesterday to start his sentence, one of his victims shouted “burn in hell”.
He raped one of his victims regularly between January 2005 and June 2008. On various occasions between January 2007 and June 2008 he assaulted the same woman as she slept, forced her outside in her underwear in bad weather and refused to let her back in.
Cunningham raped another woman once or twice a week between December 2000 and April 2004.
His third victim was sexually abused between June 2011 and October 2014 and on one occasion in September 2012, he choked her so violently she feared she was going to be strangled.
All the offences were committed at various addresses in Inverness-shire.
Lord Armstrong told Cunningham that he appeared "to lack any remorse".
Defence counsel Jennifer Bain said: “His position at trial was one of denial, but he now accepts there are aspects of his behaviour that he should be questioning.
“He is in a long-term relationship and his partner is standing by him and he has the support of friends and ex-colleagues. Mr Cunningham started as a cadet and then a police constable in his early twenties and then went into farm management. He has no previous convictions.”
Cunningham was also placed on the sex offenders’ register.
