Description
Police Officer Convicted of Raping Two Women and Abusing a Third
Cameron Ross, a 39-year-old former Police Scotland officer, has been found guilty of raping two women and subjecting a third to a prolonged campaign of abuse.
The offences took place in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis in 2012 and 2014, and in Inverness between 2019 and 2022. Ross was suspended from the force in January 2024 after the allegations emerged. He denied all charges but was convicted by a jury at the High Court in Edinburgh.
Judge Alison Stirling denied bail and remanded him in custody. He has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register and will be sentenced on 2 July.
The court heard that Ross raped the first woman after meeting her at a party on Lewis between August and October 2012, pinning her down on a bed. The victim told the jury the attack left her traumatised.
A second woman testified that Ross sat on her, restrained her and raped her in June 2014.
He then subjected a third woman to repeated abuse in Inverness between October 2019 and June 2022, threatening to kill her, pushing and pulling her, throwing her to the ground and brandishing a knife.
Ross was also convicted of behaving in a threatening and abusive manner on 5 June 2022 in Inverness, where he shouted, swore and acted aggressively, and of attempting to pervert the course of justice by trying to speak to a woman who was giving a witness statement to police the same day.
Police Scotland said a gross misconduct investigation by its Professional Standards Department will now take place.
Chief Superintendent Helen Harrison said Ross’s actions “went against everything Police Scotland stands for”.
She added:
“We understand how difficult it can be to report these kinds of offences, particularly when the perpetrator is a police officer. We want the public to be reassured that all reports are thoroughly investigated, no matter when the offending took place or who is involved.
“All officers are bound by our standards of professional behaviour, which apply on and off duty.
“Any instance where an officer fails to uphold our standards will be investigated and appropriate action taken.”