RONAN CURTIS FROM DUNDEE SENTENCED FOR SEX OFFENCES INCLUDING RAPE IN ABERDEENSHIRE
In March 2019, Ronan Curtis, a 19-year-old from Dundee, was sentenced to over five years in prison after being convicted of serious sexual offenses involving minors.Curtis was found guilty of raping a 12-year-old girl in a village in Aberdeenshire last July.
The prosecution revealed that Curtis had also engaged in unlawful sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl in Dundee between March 1 and May 26 of the previous year.
At the High Court in Glasgow, Lord Armstrong sentenced Curtis to a total of five years and one month incarceration.
The judge emphasized the profound and lasting impact of the crime on the victim, stating, "The effect on the rape victim has been long lasting and significantly detrimental." He added, "The crime of rape is a grave one, which all girls should be protected from." Curtis will additionally remain on the sex offenders register indefinitely.
Curtis pleaded guilty to the charges, acknowledging unlawful sexual intercourse and the rape.
Court documents showed that Curtis met the first girl, who was 13, through a mutual friend and began social media communications via Instagram and Snapchat.
Despite her making him aware of her age, Curtis continued to contact her.
The girl and her friend received Snapchat messages inviting them to Curtis's house on Bridgend Street in Dundee.
The girl expressed her discomfort about going alone, asking her friend to accompany her.
Advocate depute Margaret Barron explained that once at Curtis’s residence, the girl went into a bedroom with him while her friend stayed in the living room on her phone.
Curtis asked the girl if she wanted to have sex, she agreed, and they engaged in unprotected intercourse.
Police later confirmed the incident when the girl disclosed the details during an investigation in late May, leading to Curtis’s arrest.
He made no comments during police interviews and appeared at Dundee Sheriff Court on June 28, where he was released on bail.
A month later, Curtis was involved in another incident after drinking with a different young girl in a village in Aberdeenshire.
Curtis had been staying at a relative’s caravan and had befriended local adolescents, including the 12-year-old girl who told him she was 13.
The trio began drinking alcohol together—vodka, cider, and beer.
Curtis then took the girl aside without warning, pulled down her trousers, and mounted her.
Miss Barron noted that Curtis partially penetrated her, but she immediately pushed him off, got up, and fled the scene to find her friend.
Months earlier, Curtis’s actions had already drawn attention.
In February 2019, it was reported that a Dundee teen had raped a 12-year-old girl just a month after his arrest related to the Dundee sex case.
Curtis had been socializing and exchanging messages with the girls, who knew his age of 18.
Despite being aware of her age, Curtis continued his contact, which resulted in the girls agreeing to meet him at his house for sex, according to court records.
Curtis was arrested again following the second assault and subsequently appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court, where he was remanded in custody.
During the court proceedings, his defense solicitor, Chris Fyfe, explained that a background report was necessary due to Curtis’s youth and lack of prior convictions.
The judge, Lord Armstrong, adjourned sentencing and ordered Curtis to be placed on the sex offenders register.
