Man jailed for eight years after subjecting woman to three-year rape campaign

A sex attacker who repeatedly subjected a woman to rape during a course of abuse has been jailed for eight years.

Lewis Barrie committed offences against the victim over a three-year period in a Scottish Borders town.

A judge told Barrie, 31, at the High Court in Edinburgh that he was found guilty of seven charges following an earlier trial.

Lord Scott said: “Taken together they reflect a serious, violent and abusive course of conduct.”

The judge pointed out that the offending involved multiple rapes of the victim and said it was clear it has had a significant impact upon her.

Lord Scott said: “She now struggles to fall asleep because of what you used to do to her when she was asleep.”

He told Barrie: “You have displayed no insight into how or why you behaved as you did.”

He said Barrie was portrayed in references provided to the court as “a kind, caring and considerate human being”.

The judge added that that made his behaviour towards the victim all the harder to understand.

He said it was necessary to impose a custodial sentence on the first offender to punish him, to deter others from such behaviour and to protect the public.

Lord Scott ordered that Barrie should be under supervision for a further two-year period when he will be on licence and can be returned to prison if he breaches its conditions.

The judge told Barrie that following sentencing he would be placed on the sex offenders register for an indeterminate period.

Barrie had denied a series of charges at an earlier trial but was convicted of offences, including rape, sexual assault, assault and threatening or abusive behaviour. The offences were committed between 2016 and 2019.

During assaults on the woman Barrie pushed her against a door and threw a dog at her when she was pregnant with the animal striking her on the stomach.

He also assaulted an eight-year-old boy who he threatened to throw down a flight of stairs.

Defence counsel Gareth Jones KC said Barrie was convicted of serious offences and the issue for the court was what the length of the custodial sentence should be.

He said: “He has no other criminal convictions. Any custodial sentence is bound to have a profound impact, not just on him but on other family members.”