A triple rapist farm worker from Perthshire has been jailed for eight years.
During his trial, a court heard how Ruaraidh McCartney, 29, “got a thrill” out of his terrified victims’ pain .
One was repeatedly raped by him for more than two years at properties in Crieff.
She told a jury: “The word ‘no’ was like a go-harder button for Ruaraidh McCartney.”
The woman said McCartney “got a thrill out of seeing her in pain” and had also kicked, headbutted, part-strangled and beaten her.
His second victim told how they had begun having consensual sex when she became uncomfortable and asked him to stop.
She tried to leave the room but he grabbed her, pushed her down and continued, smirking when she began to cry.
Arrested for post-clubbing rape
The sadistic fiend was arrested after he forced himself on a third woman after they had gone clubbing.
He seized her hair, throat and arms and laughed when she told him he was being too rough and cried, begged him to stop and struggled to breathe.
She pulled on pyjamas, grabbed her phone, ran from the house and phoned the police.
Officers found her sitting on the pavement near her home, crying and “rocking” and initially so distressed she was unable to speak.
McCartney, of Crieff, was unanimously convicted by a jury of repeatedly raping one woman and raping the other two between 2011 and 2021.
He was sentenced at the High Court in Lanark by judge Lord Summers and placed on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely.
Conspiracy theorist
Tony Graham KC, defending, said McCartney, who is being held in HMP Low Moss and appeared via videolink, still denies his crimes.
Referring to prepared background reports, he told the judge: “You heard him giving evidence in the course of the trial and there is little I can say in mitigation regarding the convictions themselves, given they have been denied by Mr McCartney.
“Throughout this risk assessment there is continued reference to a lack of remorse and victim empathy and he believes he is the victim of a conspiracy.
“While incarcerated he will have the opportunity to reflect on the nature of the crimes he has been convicted of and the lifestyle he was previously leading.”
Violent and distressing actions
Jailing McCartney, Lord Summers said: “You were convicted by a jury of three rapes with the first taking place when you were in your teens, the second when you were 23 and the third when you were 27.
“I consider the third rape to be the most serious – it was violent in nature and it was very clear she was distressed and badly affected by your conduct.
“It was her complaint which led to the emergence of the other matters.”
The judge rejected a bid to impose non-harassment orders on McCartney, telling him he will be in prison for a “substantial” period of time and not be in “a position to harass anyone” while behind bars.
‘Dangerous and predatory’
Detective Inspector Forbes Wilson of Police Scotland said: “McCartney is a dangerous and predatory individual who has committed serious sexual offences against a number of women over an extended period of time.
“His conduct has been appalling and I hope his conviction will allow the women involved to move forward with their lives.
“I would urge anyone who has been the victim of sexual violence to come forward and report it to us, regardless of the passage of time.
“We, working with partner agencies, will support you through the process, investigate thoroughly and bring those responsible to justice.”
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