OFFENDER JAILED FOR RAPING 14-YEAR-OLD GIRL AT PARTY IN CUPAR
A man has been jailed for carrying out a "despicable" rape on a 14-year-old girl at a party in Fife.Kevin Swindells, 39, committed the assault after purchasing alcohol for several young teenagers.He received a sentence of seven and a half years after admitting to raping the girl in May of the previous year in a house located in Cupar.During the hearing at the High Court in Edinburgh, judge Kenneth Maciver described the act as "despicable" and stated: "The rape of this 14-year old girl was, in any view, despicable."The judge added: "You took violent advantage of her condition and forced yourself on her while she was unable to resist."The victim and her family found the incident very stressful and challenging, according to Advocate Depute Alison Di Rollo.Swindells chose to plead guilty on the day his trial was scheduled to start, after the jury had been selected, thereby avoiding the need for the victim to give evidence.The court heard that Swindells had 61 previous convictions, which included a 15-month sentence for assault but no prior sexual offence convictions.Defense lawyer Matt Jackson stated that Swindells claimed he was intoxicated during the incident and could not remember what happened but accepted full responsibility.Judge Maciver noted that the only mitigating factor was Swindells’s late decision to admit guilt, which helped to spare the victim and others from testifying.He emphasized that Swindells had "betrayed the trust of the children" and knew that the minors, including the victim, had been drinking and staying overnight at his house, which he knew was unsafe for them.
