Aberdeenshire predator jailed after rape conviction at trial

ABERDEENSHIRE PREDATOR JAILED AFTER RAPE CONVICTION AT TRIAL

Mark Harrison, 54, was found guilty of raping one teen and being indecent to a 10-year-old child.

He denied the charges, which also included an alleged sexual assault to a third woman, but the jury decided it was not proven.

The offences took place over a prolonged period at addresses across Aberdeenshire, some dating back more than 20 years.

Harrison appeared at Aberdeen High Court by video link from HMP Grampian, only confirming his name.

The court was told during the trial that Harrison raped one victim on at least three occasions when she was incapable of giving consent.

Jurors heard that on one occasion, the teenage victim woke up to find her jogging bottoms pulled down, and Harrison responded, 'I would tell you, but you’d call the police.' The victim was described as vulnerable, often incapacitated by drink or drugs.

Harrison made no denial of an inappropriate relationship when confronted by police, and the prosecution accused him of grooming over several years, describing his conduct as "predatory." Judge Ian Wallace sentenced him to seven-and-a-half years and placed him on the sex offenders register indefinitely, backdated to his remand in July 2023, with an additional two-year extended sentence after release.

He was also subject to non-harassment orders banning contact with his victims indefinitely and for ten years, respectively.