Edinburgh Sex attacker 'growled and bared his teeth' during horrific murder bid

A drink and drug fuelled sex attacker bared his teeth and growled before biting a partygoer on the face during a horrific rape and murder bid.

Thomas Allan's victim thought she was going to die and lost consciousness as she was throttled during the attack after waking up to find him molesting her.

Another woman, who had been walking a dog, returned to the Edinburgh flat to find Allan on top of his victim and he turned on her and strangled her before fleeing.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard Allan, 30, told a 999 operator: "I just tried to strangle two girls to death."

Details of Allan's horrific crimes emerged at the High Court in Edinburgh.

Allan admitted assaulting and attempting to rape the 21-year-old woman on June 12 this year and attempting to murder her, during a court hearing. He also pled guilty to assaulting a 28-year-old woman to the danger of her life.

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The court heard that the older woman held a party at her home which went on into the early hours. The younger woman went to a bedroom at around 3 am and fell asleep wearing a hooded top and underwear.

Advocate depute Alan Cameron said she was later awakened by Allan sliding his hand up her thigh and pulling her pants to the side and sexually assaulting her.

The prosecutor said: "She tried to struggle with him and push him away from her but he got on top of her, grabbed her neck with both hands and strangled her.

"She remembers gasping for breath and pleading with him to stop. He moved his face closer to hers, bared his teeth at her and 'growled'. He squeezed her throat tighter and bit the right side of her cheek. He continued to strangle the complainer. She thought she was going to die and lost consciousness."

When she came round she found her underwear had been removed and saw Allan punching the other woman who had returned after exercising her pet.

The older woman came back to the flat and saw the sex attack victim lying on a bed naked from the waist down with Allan on top of her.

He was also naked from the waist down and was strangling the younger woman who was not speaking or moving.

But when he saw the dog walker he jumped up and started to attack her. She tried to grab him and get him out of the bedroom but he put her in a headlock and began squeezing her neck.

She could not breathe and felt he was not going to let go. She fell over but got back up and tried to push him out. Allan got his shoes and ran out the flat.

He then made the emergency phone call confessing to the attacks and said during it: "I just about killed one of them - with my hands."

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The older woman also made a 999 call during which she said the younger woman was "pretty much" raped by Allan. The younger woman could be heard crying in the background during the call.

Police traced Allan to a field near the Union Canal at The Calders in Edinburgh.

Allan, who followed the court proceedings by a TV link to prison, told police that he had been drinking and taking cocaine. He will be sentenced in February.

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