Description
A registered sex offender who piled a schoolgirl with alcohol and drugs before raping her has been jailed for life.
Lee McPherson repeatedly preyed on the 15-year-old girl who was also bombarded with sleazy text messages, a court heard.
McPherson, 44, was convicted in October last year after a trial in Livingston of two charges of raping the girl between November 2018 and January 2019. The attacks occurred at different addresses in Dundee including in the city's Caird Park.
Sentencing was adjourned a number of times after judge Lady Haldane called for a full risk assessment to be carried out on McPherson, who had previously breached a sexual harm order.
McPherson went on to finally appear in the dock at the High Court in Glasgow where the judge imposed an Order for Lifelong Restriction (OLR). The rapist was told he must serve a minimum five years behind bars.
Lady Haldane said McPherson had continued to display 'deeply concerning attitudes' towards his young victim.
The judge said: 'You showed no insight in the consequences of your behaviour nor did you apparently see anything wrong in a man of your age behaving as you did towards a child.'
McPherson, also of Dundee, was warned he will not automatically be freed after five years. He will only be released once he is deemed safe to be put back on the streets.
Describing one attack, the young victim told jurors how she felt unwell after drinking and taking cannabis at a flat where McPherson and others were. She passed out, but awoke on one occasion to find McPherson on top of her.
During the other incident, she described lying 'frozen and staring at the wall' as she was preyed upon.
McPherson was further found guilty of sending the girl and another teenager messages of a sexual nature, which he claimed were 'stupid jokes'.
The sentencing hearing was told McPherson continues to protest his innocence.