Teen rapist jailed at Edinburgh High Court for Inverness offences, including sexual assaults at cinema and church
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A REGISTERED sex offender who raped a 15-year-old girl and who also abused a young woman with learning difficulties has been sent to prison.
Connor MacKinnon (19) targeted the two females, who cannot be named for legal reasons, between December 2017 and August 2018.
The high court heard how MacKinnon sexually assaulted his first victim at a cinema in Inverness on December 22 2017.
He then sexually assaulted her for a second time at a church in the highland city on an occasion between December 2017 and March 2018.
MacKinnon, a prisoner of YOI Polmont, then raped his second victim at a homeless unit in Inverness sometime between June 2018 and August 2018.
The pervert was snared after detectives became aware of his activities and gathered enough evidence to bring him to justice.
On Wednesday, at the High Court in Edinburgh, judge Lord Burns gave MacKinnon a four year three month jail term for the rape.
Lord Burns also handed MacKinnon two years six months for one of the sexual assaults and two years for the other sexual assault.
Ordering the sentences to be served concurrently with the rape disposal, Lord Burns also told MacKinnon he’d be supervised by the authorities for three years following his release from custody.
Lord Burns added: “Your insight into your offending is highly limited and the court has no other option but to take a very serious view of your offending behaviour.
“You leave the court with no other option but to impose a custodial sentence. And once you are released from custody, you will be carefully monitored by the authorities with proper boundaries which will be put in place.”
MacKinnon, also of Inverness, pleaded guilty to one charge of rape and two charges of sexual assault shortly before his trial was due to start last March at the High Court in Livingston.
Sentence had been deferred for the court to obtain reports about his character.
During proceedings, Lord Burns heard how MacKinnon raped his victim shortly after she met him at a bus stop outside the Eastgate shopping centre in Inverness.
She told him her mobile phone had run out of battery and he suggested she come to his hostel to charge it.
Prosecution lawyer Jane Farquharson QC told the court that whilst in his room, MacKinnon started becoming “flirtatious” then without warning swore at her, put his hand over her mouth and his other arm across her body and pushed her onto the bed.
Ms Farquharson added: “She said ‘no’ and asked the accused to stop. He did not say anything and continued to pin her down.”
Ms Farquharson said the rape lasted “a matter of second” because MacKinnon backed off when the girl reacted by lifting up her knees.
The girl agreed not to tell anyone because she thought she could deal with it but later confided in what had happened to her to a friend who had noticed a change in her behaviour.
Ms Farquharson also told the court that at the time of the rape, MacKinnon had been on bail after being charged with two attacks on an “easily led” and “socially immature” girl, who was aged 17 and had learning difficulties.
He admitted sexually assaulting the teenager at the Vue Cinema in Inverness by sexually penetrating her with his fingers.
The court heard that he had befriended his victim on Facebook and met her for the first time on a date to watch the movie Pitch Perfect 3. The court heard that the girl’s mum sat beside her.
Ms Farquharson said that MacKinnon and his victim were holding hands as they watched the film before he leaned into hug her and tried to put his hand up her top.
She pushed him away but abused the girl when her mum visited the bathroom.
He then started attending church with the girl and abused her during a service.
Ms Farquharson said: “There were other people around and she asked him to stop but he continued.
“When she swore at him, he finally let go.
“The accused also grabbed her hand and forced it onto his groin area. She tried to move away but without success.”
The court also heard that MacKinnon had been placed on the Sex Offenders Register in February 2018 after being convicted the previous month of sexually assaulting 13-year-old girls.
He was ordered not to contact the girls - but he made contact with him and was given a six month custodial term.
On Wednesday, defence solicitor advocate John Keenan told the court that his client had gained an insight into his wrong doing. Mr Keenan asked Lord Burns to take this into account when passing sentence.
But Lord Burns told him there was no other option but to impose custody.
He added: “You have pleaded guilty to very serious offences.”
