Car trip rapist gets five years

Jul 1 2009 by Our Correspondant, Dumfries Standard Wednesday

A RAPIST who “helped himself” to his victim in the back seat of a car has been jailed for more than five years.

Eric Crawford and his 16-year-old victim were driven to a police station after the motorist taking the girl home heard her crying and shouting “stop, stop”.

Crawford, 41, later told officers during an interview: “Basically I just helped myself to her.”

On Friday, a judge told him at the High Court in Edinburgh: “You have accepted responsibility for the serious crime of rape. Your voluntary intoxication is no excuse.”

Lord Kinclaven said he would have jailed Crawford for eight years for the crime, but reduced the sentence to five years and four months following his guilty plea.

Crawford, of Grennan Road, Penpont, admitted having sexual intercourse with the teenager without her consent and raping her in a car travelling on an unclassified road in East Ayrshire on October 11 last year.

Defence counsel Andrew Lamb QC said: “He has little recollection of the event. He was significantly under the influence of alcohol.

“That is not an excuse, but it is perhaps reflected in the somewhat bizarre circumstances in which the offence was committed in the rear of the vehicle, effectively in the presence of a witness,” he said.

Mr Lamb told the court that Crawford had said: “I feel bad that it happened and I am gutted that I would do a thing like that.”

Advocate depute Derick Nelson said Crawford had been at a birthday celebration at a social club in Logan, in Ayrshire, before going on to a house party.

Drinking vodka

The girl had also been at the party but was heavily intoxicated after drinking vodka.

It was later decided that a man would give her a lift home and Crawford accompanied them.

Mr Nelson said Crawford was initially in the front passenger seat, but when the driver stopped during the journey he got into the back seat alongside the teenager.

The driver asked him why he had done that and he stated he was “looking after” the girl, said the prosecutor.

The motorist heard the girl say “stop” and slowed down, but Crawford told him to keep going.

He later heard the girl asking to be left alone but was told to continue driving.

Mr Nelson said the driver did stop again and got out of the car.

When he looked in the rear he saw that the teenager was naked from the waist down and Crawford’s trousers were undone.

The advocate depute said: “At this point he decided to go to the police in Cumnock as he was unhappy at what he had seen.”

He drove to the Ayrshire police station and shouted at the teenager to get out and run. He also ran into the police office.

Mr Nelson said the girl was seen to be “very distressed, tearful and emotional” by officers and was claiming she had been raped.

Police later detained Crawford who told them: “I was drinking last night.

“I know that something happened but I can’t remember.”

During a subsequent interview he admitted the offence of rape and said: “We were going along the back road and I got into the back of the car. Basically I just helped myself to her. That’s what happened.”

Forensic tests confirmed that he had sex with the girl, the court heard.

Crawford was placed on the sex offenders’ register.