Edinburgh rapist jailed for eight years after victim pens essay to decide if she had been sexually assaulted

A rapist who was detained after one of his victims wrote an essay to decide if she had been sexually assaulted has been jailed for eight years.

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The 30-year-old woman - who cannot be named for legal reasons - decided to contact police after concluding she didn’t have sex with 32-year-old William Muir.

She told jurors how she had been 'playing a character' to defuse a row and the character would have been OK in having sex with Muir.

But she said that looking back on the experience she realised she had not freely consented to intercourse.

Muir, of Craigmillar, Edinburgh, was convicted following a trial at the High Court in Livingston last month.

They also convicted him of abducting a 28-year-old woman and detaining her against her will at a flat in Edinburgh, and of abducting, strangling and slapping the rape victim and assaulting her by pulling her up steps at the city's Calton Hill.

Sentence had been deferred for the court to obtain reports about his character.

Livingston Court

On Friday, judge Lord Braid told Muir - who has previous convictions for violence - that he was going to prison.

Ordering the authorities to supervise him for four years following his release from custody, Lord Braid said: “Whilst you continue to deny your guilt with regard to your sexual offending, we have heard how you have expressed some remorse for the physical violence to which you been convicted of.

“You are assessed as being at high risk of re-offending with acts of violence against females. I take into account everything which has been said on your behalf by your counsel. However, I have came to the conclusion that a sentence with normal conditions of release will be insufficient for the protection of the public.

“So I’m going to pass an extended sentence on you. This will consist of a custodial part of and a supervision part.

“The custodial part will be one of eight years and you will be subjected to a supervision period of four years following your release.”

During his trial, three women told of similar behaviour by him during their brief relationships.

The PhD student said she had written 'fairly lengthy notes' on whether or not she had consented, which she later gave to police.

One entry dated May 31, 2018, asked: 'Was this rape? I feel conflicted because I did not want to be there. I didn't want to have sex with William.' But she qualified her thoughts with a series of bullet points which included: 'I was playing a character and that character would have been OK in having sex with William.'

Lord Braid also placed Muir on the Sex Offenders Register for the rest of his life.

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