A serial rapist who abducted a young girl and raped her in a van in Fife has been jailed.
Lord Joseph Lowther, 42, detained one of his victims against her will in his vehicle on an occasion between August 18 2000 and September 11 2000.
The woman said she was approximately 12 years old at the time of the incident.
Now aged 34, she told the High Court in Edinburgh Lowther pushed her into his van at a location in Cowdenbeath.
He then seized her by the legs and covered her mouth with his hand.
Lowther repeatedly threatened to kill her, before pinning her down and raping her.
Describing the sickening attack, the woman wept as she told prosecution lawyer John Keenan: “I lay there scared.
“I was in a lot of pain at the time.
“He said to me ‘get your s**t together and get out.
“He said if I told anyone he would kill me.”
The story emerged during a trial which ended late on Wednesday afternoon when jurors convicted Lowther, of Burntisland, on six charges including rape and sexual assault.
The carpet fitter’s youngest victim was aged just 10.
Raped girl in van
During proceedings, the woman raped by Lowther in his van told jurors of an incident sometime between May 1 2006 and April 2008 in which she was sexually assaulted for a second time.
She told Mr Keenan Lowther approached her at another location in Cowdenbeath and sexually assaulted her for a second time.
She said: “He grabbed me by the vagina and said, ‘I can have this anytime I want’.”
The woman told the court she was concerned for her safety and did not tell anybody what happened.
She added: “I didn’t feel strong enough to speak out.”
Police eventually learned about Lowther’s activities and launched an investigation which succeeded in securing enough evidence to bring him to justice.
Rapes across Scotland
Officers discovered he had raped another woman at a caravan site in Moray some time between May 2009 and December 2010.
He also repeatedly raped the same person at other locations in Scotland between January 2013 and December 31 2016.
He may not be the type of person that you or your family would want to be your friend…”
Lowther’s agent, Dale Hughes.
Between June 1 2016 and September 3 2016, Lowther raped another woman at a location close to Cowdenbeath, while she was sleeping and intoxicated and unable to provide consent.
Lowther raped another woman on November 7 2017 at a house in Cowdenbeath,
He also repeatedly raped a little girl on various occasions between January 1 2018 and January 18 2021 at locations in Fife.
The child was aged just nine years old when the abuse began.
Sentence deferred
During his closing speech, defence advocate Dale Hughes told jurors: “He may not be the type of person that you or your family would want to be your friend but I urge you to put aside any prejudices that you may have aside and consider the evidence coolly and dispassionately.”
After the verdicts were given, Mr Keenan told judge Lord Sandison Lowther had previous convictions for dishonesty, indecent exposure and road traffic offences.
He added: “He is a member of the travelling community and has lived at a number of addresses across the United Kingdom during his life.”
Mr Hughes told Lord Sandison that he would reserve his mitigation until the sentencing hearing, which is scheduled to take place next month.
Lord Sandison remanded Lowther, pending reports.
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