Britain27 July, 20262 min read
Aaron Strachan Jailed After Abducting And Raping 15-Year-Old Girl In Edinburgh Basement
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Strachan abducted a 15-year-old girl from an Edinburgh city-centre bus stop at knifepoint. Raped her in a basement.
Edinburgh basement rape
Aaron Strachan, 21, was jailed under an order for lifelong restriction after the High Court in Edinburgh heard he abducted a 15-year-old girl from a bus stop on Princes Street in the early hours of 25 May last year, pulled a knife, and marched her to a basement storage area where he raped her. The BBC said Strachan was jailed for a minimum of five years with an order for lifelong restriction (OLR), meaning a parole board must decide if he is ever safe to be released.
Judge Michael O'Grady described Strachan’s crimes as the "stuff of nightmares" when sentencing was handed down at the High Court in Edinburgh. The court heard Strachan also attacked a man with a hammer days later and had a criminal record of violence, robbery and possession of weapons, and the BBC reported he was brought to the High Court for sentencing on 13 January but fled the GEOAmey escort while being moved to a waiting vehicle.
Escape and custody
STV News described the moment Strachan escaped custody before being jailed, saying he was led down the stairs of the High Court in Edinburgh in CCTV footage released by the Crown Office. STV News reported that "Strachan can be seen being led down the stairs of the High Court in Edinburgh" and that he was able to break or slip from his bonds and run away as guards chased him.
The BBC said Strachan admitted attempting to defeat the ends of justice by breaking free from his handcuffs and running off into the Royal Mile which sparked a mass manhunt, and that he was detained by police a short time later. In the sentencing account, the BBC said the victim’s family shouted "that's ridiculous" when the OLR was handed down, and it added that Judge O'Grady said it was "highly improbable" Strachan's issues with violence and his mental disorder would be addressed in jail.
Lifelong restriction stakes
The BBC explained that OLRs are unique to Scotland and are designed to serve as life sentences for serious sexual and violent offenders, imposed if it is believed a prisoner has shown a pattern of behaviour that could escalate and seriously endanger the public if at liberty. It said a judge orders an offender to serve a minimum period in jail, and once that term has been completed offenders remain in prison until the parole board decides they can be freed.
The BBC reported that only a fraction of those who have received these sentences have ever been freed, and it noted critics have described the orders as "inhumane and degrading" while victim support campaigners argue the orders are "an essential element of Scotland's justice system." In the sentencing framing, the BBC quoted Faye Cook, procurator fiscal for High Court sexual offences, saying Strachan’s actions were "calculated, predatory, and caused profound harm" and adding that the conviction reflected the gravity of his crimes and the commitment of prosecutors and police to bring him to justice.