A “toxic and manipulative” Peterhead thug who physically and sexually assaulted two women has been caged for nearly 10 years.
Craig Neill was told he would remain subject to strict licence conditions for three years following his release from prison because of the risk of serious harm he poses to the public.
He has also been banned from contacting his victims for the rest of his life and his name will remain on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.
Neill, 33, was convicted of engaging in separate courses of coercive and abusive behaviour over a period of years towards two different partners, which followed a very similar pattern of threatening and controlling their activities, degrading and demeaning them, taking out his own unfounded jealousy on them and isolating them from friends and family.
He was also convicted of three separate charges of serious sexual abuse, including two rapes.
Rapist suffers PTSD after 10kg basket dropped on his head
Frances Connor, defence counsel, told the High Court at Livingston that the accused continued to deny committing the six serious offences despite being found guilty by a jury in March.
She said Neill, who was originally from Belfast but was living in Peterhead, had abused alcohol and drugs and had been diagnosed with mental health issues over a period of years.
He suffered a serious injury when a 10-kilogram basket dropped on his head some years ago and had since been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
She claimed that Neill had expressed a willingness to liaise with social workers to help him deal with his complex issues.
‘Toxic and manipulative’
Passing sentence, Judge Susan Craig told Neill: “Your victims spoke of how toxic and manipulative you were towards them, and of your extreme sexual assaults.
“It was very clear from that powerful evidence and from the victim statement I have read that your abuse has had a profound effect on them.
“The Criminal Justice Social Work report (CJSWR) prepared for this morning’s sentencing records that you take no responsibility for your actions and completely deny all the allegations.
“In terms of risk, you were assessed as requiring a very high level of intervention, with a ‘High’ risk of imminent partner violence or physical harm, and were at medium risk of sexual re-conviction.
“That is of concern to this court and will be reflected in the sentence I will impose.”
She highlighted his “significant and lengthy record of previous convictions” with gaps only when he was serving custodial sentences.
Rapist is a danger to the public
She went on: “I have had regard to what has been said on your behalf in mitigation as well as the physical and mental health issues identified in the report and in the neuropsychology report I was provided this morning.
“That makes it clear that you have a long history of violence, which both pre- and post-date the injury that resulted in the diagnosis of PTSD.
“The sentencing guidelines relevant to this case require that I must balance the need to protect the public, punish offenders and mark the court’s disapproval of behaviour such as yours, along with issues of rehabilitation and the opportunity to make amends.
“In your case your behaviour is so serious only a lengthy custodial sentence is appropriate.
“I am also satisfied that, given the level of risk identified in the CJSW report, the normal period of licence to which you would be subject following your release from custody would not be adequate to protect the public from the risk of serious harm that you present.”
13-year sentence
If the offences stood alone she said she would have jailed him for five years on each of the rape charges, three years for each of the two charges involving a course of abusive behaviour, and the single count of sexual assault to injury, and one year for threatening and abusive behaviour.
She explained: “It is therefore necessary to adjust these to reflect that consecutive sentences would result in too severe a sentence to achieve those purposes.
“I will accordingly impose a headline cumulo sentence with a sentence totalling 13 years comprising a custodial sentence of 10 years and an extension period of 3 years.”
She reduced the custodial element to 9 years and 325 days to take account of time spent on remand and backdated it to commence on 23 April 2023.
She said Neill’s name would also be added to the lists of persons deemed unsuitable to work with vulnerable groups.