Rapist's jail term increased on appeal

A man found guilty of raping two women and sexually assaulting another one has had his jail term increased on appeal.

Anthony Plaskett, 39, formerly of Hawick, was given a five-year sentence in January which prosecutors argued was unduly lenient.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) asked the court to consider imposing a longer custodial term due to the overall seriousness of the offences.

The appeal was upheld and his original prison term was quashed and replaced with an eight-year sentence.

Plaskett denied the offences but was found guilty of three charges in December 2023 following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh.

In April 2021, he sexually assaulted a woman and raped another on the same day at properties in the Scottish Borders.

He was convicted of raping a third woman in February 2020 at an address in West Lothian.

Kenny Donnelly, deputy crown agent for COPFS, said unduly lenient sentence appeals were not common but said it was important that the harm caused by sexual offending was "consistently reflected" in sentences.

He said they remained committed to "improving the criminal justice journey for victims from the stage of reporting all the way through to sentencing".

"We recognise the devastating impact sexual offences can have on all those affected and will always seek to ensure the effective, rigorous, and fair prosecution of sexual crime," he added.