A sex attacker has been jailed for more than three years after his victim recorded him saying he was disgusted by what he had done.
Ian McLaren indecently assaulted the woman before suddenly stopping and said: “What am I doing, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.”
The 31-year-old victim fled to a bathroom after the attack at a house in Fraserburgh.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard yesterday that 55-year-old McLaren had been smoking crack cocaine as the woman slept.
He then pounced on her, with a “sort of possessed look” on his face, telling her to keep quiet and that he would not hurt her before carrying out the sex attack.
The court heard she did not immediately report the attack to police as she did not think they would believe her due to her drug use.
But months later, she ran into McLaren by chance and activated the record button on her mobile phone.
She brought up the sexual assault and questioned him over it in an attempt to get him to admit what he had done.
During the recorded conversation McLaren said he did not want her to feel horrible about it, and said he was disgusted with himself – and that he did not know how many times to say sorry.
The woman said she took “Dutch courage” from the recording, and reported it to the police in June 2014.
When McLaren, formerly of Fourglen Crescent, Turriff, was questioned by officers he made no comment – until the tape recording was played. He admitted he had sexually assaulted the woman and felt awful about it.
McLaren was originally charged with raping the woman at a house in Fraserburgh on July 4 in 2013.
But the Crown accepted his guilty plea to a reduced charge of sexually assaulting the woman by molesting her and threatening violence.
Judge Lord Boyd jailed him for three years and two months for the offence. He was also put on the sex offenders’ register.
