A former bouncer accused of a catalogue of rapes accepted there were “remarkable similarities” in the accounts of his alleged victims.
Giving evidence in his own defence, alleged pet killer Paul Hill – described by one woman as a “psycho” – flatly denied any of the alleged rapes, assaults to danger of life and other offences had happened.
He claimed he had no idea why several women had come forward to give almost identical evidence at the High Court in Livingston that he had beaten them, pulled their hair, strangled and raped them.
He told the jury he never lost his temper, denied ever being violent and insisted all sexual intercourse with the women had been consensual.
He specifically denied drowning a former partner’s pet parakeet, killing another’s tiny kitten, throwing a third girlfriend’s cat out of a window and threatening to harm his own pet Alsatian, Fern, if a fourth woman he was dating refused to take the dog when they split.
Hill, 54, who is unemployed, admitted he had struck up relationships with most of the women after meeting them at nightclubs and pubs where he worked as a bouncer from the late 1980s onwards.
Defence counsel John McElroy reminded Hill his alleged victims had come to court to tell of “a catalogue of violence, threats and sexual violence perpetrated against a number of them”. Hill said: “I understand that.”
Mr McElroy asked: “What’s your position about that? What do you say?” Hill answered: “Nothing like that has ever happened.”
Under cross-examination, advocate depute Bernard Abbott reminded Hill one witness had told how his eyes would go really dark and he’d look “evil” when angry.
Another witness had said he had “a really evil face” when he’d been drinking.
At the close of the Crown case, Judge Lord Mulholland formally acquitted Hill of raping two women after the Crown decided not to lead any evidence from the complainers.
Other dropped allegations included an assault to danger of life, five breach of the peace charges and one count of vandalism.
Hill, from Dundee, who now lives in Ayr, still faces 15 charges including five rape allegations involving four women, nine assaults on eight females – four to danger of life – and one breach of the peace involving another woman.
All the offences were allegedly committed at addresses in Aberdeen and Dundee between 1987 and 2010.
The trial continues.
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