Women who were targeted as teenagers by a serial rapist have spoken of their relief after seeing him locked up.
Ruaridh Gilmour, 23, was sentenced to five years in prison, with a three-year extension, after being found guilty of four counts of rape at the High Court in Inverness.
Now two of his victims, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, have told the Press and Journal how the sentencing brought them “closure” and “relief”.
The original trial heard how Gilmour, of Dingwall, told one woman that he “liked it when she said no” and “gloated” over hurting her.
The second victim told the court that she had told Gilmour no “a handful of times” before he took her into a bathroom and undressed her.
She said she then silently endured his forced attentions because she “didn’t want him to get angry”.
The woman said the incident made her feel “dirty” but that afterwards Gilmour “just pulled his trousers back up and continued to go and make tea as if nothing had happened”.
Gilmour also forced a teenager to touch his private parts against her wishes, telling her it was “good for his mental health”.
Serial rapist jailed
Speaking following the sentencing, one victim said: “I am quite happy. It was more than I expected.
“It definitely makes a difference. I know that it is not going to be easy for him and it is a bit of justice for me.
“There were a lot of effects. It affected my relationships and my sex life and it has made me very distrusting of people.
‘It feels like karma’
“There was a lot of sleepless nights and panic attacks and all sorts – the prison sentence feels like a bit of karma.
“It has been about five years since I was last speaking to him, so I feel like I have served my five years – now it is time for him to serve his.”
A second woman said the sentence had brought “massive closure” as delays to investigation and prosecution due to Covid meant it had been looming large over her life for a long time.
She said: “I never thought any good would come from speaking to the police regarding Ruaridh but I’m more than thankful now that I spoke up.
“The case as a whole affected a lot of my life, from my education to being a mother. Not only was what he did scarring, but the constant fear of not being believed was crippling.
“I have struggled with PTSD, which put a detrimental effect on my well-being. I was still in school when this all happened, which caused me to lose focus on studies, get worse grades and, eventually, I couldn’t cope with the exhaustion and depression so I left.
“I couldn’t be around Dingwall for years in fear of bumping into him so now that the sentencing has passed I feel so much more at ease in my life.
‘He can’t do this to anyone else’
“I’m a better mum having no more stress of him being out freely. I’m more outgoing and can go anywhere and everywhere I want knowing I’ll not see his face and the peace of knowing he now can’t do this to anyone else is the best part.
“The sentencing has brought me the peace I never thought I’d get to have again and I’m more than thankful for all the investigators and judges involved. They saved my life.”
As a result of his conviction, Gilmour was also placed on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely and made subject to a non-harassment order preventing him from approaching or contacting one of the women for 10 years.
