GLASGOW RAPIST CRAIG MCWHIRTER SENTENCED AFTER TEEN VICTIM'S SECRET RECORDING REVEALS HORRIFIC ATTACK
In August 2022, a disturbing case unfolded in Glasgow involving Craig McWhirter, a 30-year-old man who was convicted of raping a teenage woman and subsequently sentenced to four and a half years in prison.The incident took place at the Dakota Hotel in Glasgow city centre on July 22, 2019, and the case drew significant attention due to the victim's courageous act of secretly recording the assault.
According to court proceedings, the young woman, who was 19 years old at the time, had initially agreed to meet McWhirter at the hotel.
At that point, their encounter was consensual, and they were seen together outside the hotel premises.
However, the situation took a dark turn after they returned to the hotel room.
It was during this later encounter that McWhirter forcibly raped the woman, an act that she desperately tried to resist.
The victim, who was working as an escort at the time, managed to secretly record the assault on her mobile phone.
The recording captured her distressed pleas, with her repeatedly begging, “Please, please stop...” and expressing her desire to go to sleep.
Despite her protests, McWhirter insisted that she was “in his bed,” and the recording also revealed her complaints of pain during the assault.
The brave young woman eventually found the strength to alert hotel staff about what had transpired.
When hotel staff were informed, they found the victim to be “pale and shaken,” and she confirmed that she had been raped.
She was so distressed that she had to call her father to come and pick her up from the hotel.
The police were subsequently called, and McWhirter was detained.
During police interviews, he was played the recording the victim had made.
When asked about the audio, which clearly showed her crying “no” and “stop,” McWhirter responded, “It sounds like that, aye,” but then claimed, “I do not rape folk.” Prosecutor Tracey Brown emphasized to the jury that “No means no whatever you do for a living,” underscoring the importance of consent.
The court heard that McWhirter had previously attempted to evade justice by failing to appear at an earlier trial scheduled in Edinburgh in September of the previous year.
He went missing before being arrested on a warrant later that month.
Judge Lord Scott delivered the sentence, making it clear that the fact the woman had sex with McWhirter earlier did not imply ongoing consent.
He stated, “It must be free agreement to sexual activity on each specific occasion,” reinforcing the principle that consent must be given freely and explicitly each time.
In addition to his prison sentence, Craig McWhirter was placed on the sex offenders register, marking a significant legal consequence for his actions in Glasgow.
