Sex offender convicted of raping Inverness schoolgirl


Sex offender convicted of raping Inverness schoolgirl

A REGISTERED sex offender has been convicted of raping a 15-year-old girl and sexually assaulting a disabled young woman with a borderline learning disability.

Connor MacKinnon (19) pleaded guilty to the rape and two sexual assaults on the morning he was due to stand trial for a total of 20 offences at the High Court in Livingston.

His not guilty pleas to 16 further alleged sex offences and one physical assault were accepted by the prosecution.

Although MacKinnon’s name was already on the sex offenders’ register it has now been added for a second time and Scottish Ministers will be formally notified of the fresh convictions under legislation to protect vulnerable groups.

Judge Lord Burns called for information about the accused’s earlier convictions, a social work background report and an assessment of the risk he poses to the public.

MacKinnon will be sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh on May 8.

MacKinnon, who is from Inverness but is currently on remand at Polmont Young Offenders’ Institution near Falkirk, admitted forcibly raping the 15-year-old girl in his bedroom at Eildon House homeless unit in Inverness between June 1 and August 4 last year.

The court was told ahe had talked to him once on a bus and told him she was 15 before meeting him by chance as he sat outside Eastgate shopping centre on the day of the attack.

She told him her mobile phone had run out of battery and he suggested she come to his hostel to charge it.

Advocate depute Jane Farquharson said that, in his room, MacKinnon started “becoming flirtatious” then, without warning, swore at her, put his hand over her mouth and his other arm across her body and pushed her onto the bed.

Ms Farquharson said: “She said ‘no’ and asked the accused to stop. He did not say anything and continued to pin her down.”

She said the rape ordeal lasted “a matter of seconds” because MacKinnon backed off, when the girl reacted by lifting up her knees.

His victim grabbed her phone and immediately left the room followed by the accused, who asked her not to say anything to anyone.

She agreed and did not tell anyone, thinking she could deal with it by not thinking about it, but those closest to her noticed a change in her behaviour and when a close friend demanded to know what she was hiding she became upset, started to cry and blurted out what had happened but refused to name her rapist.

Later that day she and her friend walked past the accused by chance and she burst into tears.

This prompted her friend to ask if MacKinnon was the man responsible and she nodded and continued to cry.

The matter was reported to police two on August 7.

The advocate depute said that at the time of the rape, MacKinnon had been on bail after appearing in court in relation to two earlier attacks on an “easily led” and “socially immature” girl with learning difficulties, who was 17 at the time.

He admitted sexually assaulting the girl at the Vue Cinema in Inverness on December 22, 2017 by placing her on his lap, putting his hand under her clothing and sexually penetrating her with his fingers.

The court heard he befriended the girl on Facebook and met her for the first time when they went to watch the film Pitch Perfect 3 together, chaperoned by her mother who sat on the other side of the girl.

The accused and his victim were holding hands as they watched the film before he leaned in to hug her and tried to put his hand up her top.

She pushed him away but, when her mum went to the toilet, he leaned over and asked her if she wanted to have sex with him.

When she said no he pulled her onto his lap and put his hand inside her jeans and pants, stopping only when her mother returned.

On their way home, the girl told her mum that MacKinnon had tried to touch her “below” but reassured her that she had managed to stop him.

He stayed in touch with the family and started joining them at church services.

He kissed her neck at a service on March 18, 2018.

The girl said they were talking about life and school when MacKinnon suddenly put his hands up her top and under her bra.

The advocate depute said: “There were other people around and she asked him to stop but he continued. When she swore at him he finally let go.

“The accused also grabbed her hand and forced it onto his groin area. She tried to move away but without success.”

She said the accused only let her go when her little sister approached them. Not long after the second incident their relationship came to an end.

MacKinnon was placed on the sex offenders’ register in February 2018 after being convicted in January that year of three sexual assaults involving 13-year-old girls.

He was originally put on a community payback order with three years supervision and strict conditions about contacting children under the age of 16, but breached the order and was sentenced to six months detention.

His sex offender registration period was increased from three years to seven years when he was detained and, by the time of his planned release date on November 21 last year, he was remanded in respect of two High Court petitions and had since spent almost five months in custody.