West Lothian sexual assault: Allan Brand sentenced to five years for rape

A man has been sentenced to five years in connection with a rape of a 19-year-old woman that took place in West Lothian.

Allan Brand was sentenced to five years at the High Court in Edinburgh today, Friday, January 14, in connection with the rape.

He was put on the Sex Offenders' Register for life.

The rape on the 19-year-old woman took place on May, 23, 2019 in Bathgate.

Allan Brand was sentenced to five years at Edinburgh High Court today, Friday, January 14, in connection with the serious assault.

Detectives from the Public Protection Unit carried out an investigation that resulted in Brand being arrested and charged in September 2019.

He was convicted at the High Court in Edinburgh on Thursday, 9 December, 2021.

Detective Constable Stephen Brown from Divisional Rape Investigation Unit said: “Brand is now facing the consequences of his despicable actions. His conviction and sentencing sends a clear message that anyone found guilty of offences of this nature will be brought to justice.

“This young woman has shown immense courage and I thank her for her assistance during our enquiry. It is extremely difficult to speak about these types of crimes and my thoughts remain with her. I hope that Brand’s sentencing can bring her some comfort.

“We remain committed to supporting victims of sexual crimes and investigating those responsible by bringing them to justice, no matter how much time has passed. I would urge people to come forward to police and report it. They can be assured of being fully supported by officers and partner agencies.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.