Bathgate serial rapist who blackmailed victims branded 'manipulative, deceitful and extraordinarily cruel' by judge

Allan Rotchford was today locked up for crimes involving "psychopathic" behaviour.

The 34 year-old had been convicted of 12 charges against four women following a trial last February.

These were six rape offences, two indecent assaults and a further two sexual assaults.

Rotchford was also found guilty of two charges of extorting graphic images of women by threatening to expose intimate pictures online.

The crimes occurred in Edinburgh, West Lothian, Stirling and Ayrshire between 2009 and 2019.

The case had been repeatedly adjourned while a full risk assessment into the continuing danger Rotchford may pose was carried out.

Lord Fairley decided to impose an Order for Lifelong Restriction (OLR) at a hearing at the High Court in Glasgow.

Under the terms of the OLR, Rotchford will effectively be held for life unless he is no longer ruled a danger to females.

Rotchford - who denied the charges - must also serve a minimum seven years behind bars.

The judge said the rapist was "manipulative, deceitful and extraordinarily cruel".

One report described Rotchford as having "no inhibitions to harming others" and that he had displayed a "range of psychopathic traits".

Another doctor said he had "narcissistic personality disorder".

Lord Fairley: "An Order for Lifelong Restriction is plainly necessary and appropriate."

Rotchford was also hit with a Sexual Offences Prevention Order banning him from contacting the victims or accessing any images of them.

Jurors earlier heard the attacks included raping one woman at a flat in Edinburgh after she had fallen asleep from taking tablets.

Rotchford also recorded one of the crimes on a mobile phone.

He took to Twitter and Facebook, warning if he would put private photos of two of the women online unless they agreed to his sick demands.

Rotchford used a bogus Facebook profile to bombard a victim with more than 6000 messages.

He targeted four women, and after he was initially arrested, he found a new partner and repeatedly raped her while on bail.

Rotchford was also placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely.