Twisted Bathgate serial rapist featured in TV personal injury claims campaign during his reign of abuse and blackmail

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Allan Rotchford featured in the nationwide advert for National Accident Helpline in December 2017 in which he discussed his financial problems, following an injury suffered while working at a car rental company where a falling storage box severed his thumb.

Rotchford’s was one of several customer stories used in a campaign to highlight the compensation available for loss of earnings due to injuries that are not their fault but can threaten to destroy their livelihoods.

On Tuesday last week at the High Court in Glasgow, Rotchford was handed a life sentence for his crimes which involved “psychopathic” behaviour according to one report.

Allan Rotchford featured in the nationwide advert for National Accident Helpline in December 2017 (right) in which he discussed his financial problems, following an injury suffered while working at a car rental company.

Following a trial in February 2020, the 34-year-old was convicted of 12 charges against four women.

There were six rapes offences, two indecent assaults and a further two sexual assaults.

He 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 the hearing on Tuesday and, under the terms of the OLR, he 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.

‘Psychopathic traits’

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.”

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

Jurors previously 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 he would put private photos of two women online unless they agreed to his sick demands. He also used a bogus Facebook profile to bombard a victim with more than 6,000 messages.

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

Detective Inspector Steven McMillan, of Police Scotland’s Domestic Abuse Task Force, said the judgement recognised Rotchford’s “sadistic sexual abuse” which incolved abusing these women’s trust and using threats and lies to coerce them to act against their will.

DI McMillan said the women had shown “immense courage” throughout the investigation and helped gather evidence which led to this sentence.

He said: "Abuse in all its forms will not be tolerated and has no place in society. I also hope that this sentencing will give confidence to anyone who is experiencing, or who has experienced, abuse to come forward knowing that we will listen and we will investigate."

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

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