Victim’s disgust as sex attacker freed

Ian Dempster was locked up in December last year for five indecent or sexual assaults but was back walking the streets by September in a move the victim described as “disgusting”.

Aged 19 when Dempster preyed on her in August 2010, she said she still suffers flashbacks and panic attacks following her ordeal.

The victim, who asked not to be named, said she had met Dempster – now believed to be housed in Tranent, East Lothian – at a Musselburgh garage while visiting a friend.

When he offered her a lift home, she was hesitant but, in a hurry to get home and feed her cat, she made the “huge mistake” of getting in his car.

She said: “I thought it would be a short lift. Then he said he had to stop at his house for some reason. We just kept driving and he drove me to Dunbar”

Dempster invited the victim into a house and, despite her protestations, would not take “no” for answer. She said Dempster insisted she went to the bedroom, where he began assaulting her. She said: “I didn’t feel able to do anything.”

Dempster was convicted of telling the teenager to take off her clothes before holding her down on a bed and committing various sex acts. He then drove the terrified victim back to Musselburgh.

When the other victims came to light, she was forced to give evidence over two days at his trial, which saw Dempster convicted of five attacks.

Police and social workers alerted her that Dempster was being released from prison under automatic early release on September 7. He had also served a number of months on remand before being convicted.

She said: “I suffer from panic attacks and I start crying all the time. I hardly sleep. It’s disgusting he’s been let out so soon.”

Her mother said: “She’s been left a recluse. It’s had a devastating impact on her.”

Scottish Conservative chief whip John Lamont said: “The problem with automatic early release is that it’s completely geared to the rights, feelings and needs of the offender.

“As we can see from this case, it is always the victim who gets forgotten about.”

As a registered sex offender. Dempster is being monitored under Multi-Agency Public Protection Agency (Mappa), which includes police and social workers.

A Mappa spokeswoman said iy could not comment on individual cases. A Scottish Prison Service spokesman confirmed Dempster was no longer an inmate.

Dempster could not be  contacted for comment.