Rape survivor demands apology from authorities who 'put her in danger'

A woman who survived a brutal sex attack in her own home at the hands of a neighbour who turned out be a high-risk serial rapist is demanding an apology from the authorities who housed him across the road from her.

David Reid. Picture: Police Scotland

The woman, who the Evening News is calling Lydia, was raped by David Reid, a convicted sex attacker with a record stretching back 40 years after he forced his way into her home in October 2017 and threatened to ‘slit her throat’.

She only escaped when she managed to disarm Reid of the knife he was carrying and flee into the street, where neighbours called the police.

Now it has emerged neither Lydia nor her neighbours had been made aware of Reid’s horrific past before he was placed in the quiet Corstorphine street three years ago.

Lydia is demanding an explanation for the ‘bizarre’ decision to house a registered sex offender in a quiet street in Corstorphine, made by a conglomerate of government bodies under the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA).

“It was totally inappropriate to house him there,” she told the Evening News. “It was inevitable that somebody would be attacked.”

Reid was housed in a quiet street populated by several blocks of flats with no lock system on the main door to each block.

There is also a school and nursery nearby, which Lydia argued was “obviously going to be a risk” as it means there are many women passing through the street to bring children to and from school.

“He should have been housed in a more urban, anonymous setting,” she said.

“Somewhere where each block had an entry phone system, and where there were more people about.”

“I understand they’ve got to house him somewhere, but he should have been in a hostel where he was managed,” she added.

Reid was jailed for four years and three months at the High Court in Glasgow earlier this month, and given an Order of Lifelong Restriction which means he could be behind bars for the rest of his life.

After the verdict was returned Judge Lord Clark was told Reid’s previous convictions date back to 1978.

He was guilty of indecent assault and having sex with a girl aged between 13 and 16, and was jailed for 10 years in 1998 for rape and attempted rape.

Lord Clark said Reid had been deemed a “high risk” of committing similar crimes.

After the incident an inquiry was launched by a representative of MAPPA external to the Edinburgh division.

Lydia has not yet seen the report.

“I want an apology from all the agencies involved, especially housing,” she said.

“It [MAPPA] is supposed to be a joined-up process, but it’s clearly not working.

“I’d like them to acknowledge there have been failures and apologise to me. If they had not failed, I would not have been put in that situation.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We have huge sympathy with anyone who has suffered the trauma of rape or any form of sexual assault. We continue to work with local and national agencies to prevent offending and reoffending, and to ensure victims, as well as the wider community, are supported through the justice system and wider public services.”

A MAPPA spokesperson said: “A Significant Case Review (SCR) was commissioned to review the circumstances surrounding this incident. Every sex offender is subject to an Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) to identify if there are housing related issues.

“There has been ongoing liaison with the victim throughout this review and a senior representative of the City of Edinburgh Council and Police Scotland will meet with the victim to discuss the findings prior to the publication of the Executive Summary.”