A convicted rapist who was arrested by police as he was about to travel abroad on a one-way ticket to see his victim was ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid community work.
But Inverness Sheriff Court heard yesterday that Thomas Eccles, 51, had told officers beforehand of his plans and that he had needed a new passport.
His lawyer, Mike Chapman told Sheriff Margaret Neilson: “This was not an attempt to escape the country undetected. He has spent some time in custody as a result and the background report suggests this could be dealt with by a sentence in the community.”
Eccles, of Beanfield Avenue, Corby, was charged with failing to meet Sex Offender regulations and admitted that between March 30 and June 27 at Tain Police station and elsewhere, he failed to notify police he had been issued with a new passport on March 30.
Former Inverness restaurateur Eccles had been convicted in March 2012 of rape and was later jailed for four years and three months.
Mr Chapman added: “After being released from prison he observed the regulations and he pointed out to his reporting police officer his passport had expired and he wanted a new one. He went ahead and got one but didn’t notify the authorities.”
He said his client wanted to travel to see the woman to resolve a legal matter.
