Serial sex offender jailed for 12 years

A sex offender who assaulted and raped women during more than a decade of abuse has been jailed for 12 years.

Callum Gordon was 18 when he first threatened and attacked a victim, and went on to carry out similar crimes against two other women during a spate of offending that continued until 2022.

Now aged 33, he subjected two victims to rape ordeals and committed a sexual assault on a third woman after breaking into a flat in Aberdeen.

At the High Court in Edinburgh, Lord Braid told Gordon that he had been found guilty of "an appalling course of sustained criminal conduct".

Gordon began his abuse of women in 2009.

He went on to commit repeated assaults on a second woman between 2010 and 2016 at addresses in Aberdeen, and at Peterhead and Huntly in Aberdeenshire.

In 2017, he broke into another flat in Aberdeen while it was unoccupied and waited for a woman returning to the property.

When she arrived he carried out a sexual assault on her.

Gordon had denied a series of charges during an earlier trial but was convicted of rapes, assaults and abusive conduct.

Defence counsel Gary Allan KC said that Gordon continued to maintain the position that he adopted at trial.

He said: "He has confirmed to me in consultation that whatever his view of the convictions, he does have room for vast improvement in his lifestyle choices."

Lord Braid said victim impact statements provided by two of the women described the lasting effect Gordon's behaviour had on them.

The judge said: "The gravity of the offending is such that only a significant custodial sentence is appropriate."

He ordered that Gordon should be placed under supervision for a further four-year period after his release. He was also put on the sex offenders register for an indeterminate period.

Lord Braid also made non-harassment orders prohibiting Gordon from contacting or attempting to contact his victims.

Det Insp Gordon Patullo from Police Scotland described Gordon as "a very dangerous individual".

“The testimony of the three victims was absolutely crucial to unravelling his crimes and building such a compelling case against him and I hope they will now feel a sense of closure and be able to move on with their lives," he said.