Man who raped two young women in Edinburgh and Paisley has prison sentence increased upon appeal

A man who raped two young women has had his prison sentence increased following a successful appeal by the Crown.

Connor McNealis was initially given a six-year sentence in April 2024 after being found guilty following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh.

The 27-year-old carried out his first sexual assaults on a victim in the Broomhouse area of Edinburgh when he was still a teenager before subjecting a second woman to repeated rapes four years later in Paisley.

The court had heard that McNealis continued to deny responsibility for the offences.

Following sentencing, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) had asked the court to consider imposing a longer custodial term on McNealis due to the serious nature of the offences.

The Appeal Court upheld the Crown appeal and the original sentence was quashed and replaced with a nine-year custodial term.

Sentencing is in the domain of the independent judiciary however the Crown is allowed to appeal in limited circumstances, with a high test set for this to occur.

The original sentence must be unduly lenient, falling outside the range of sentences which the judge could reasonably have considered appropriate having taken account of all relevant factors.

Kenny Donnelly, deputy crown agent for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, said: “COPFS is committed to improving the criminal justice journey for victims, from the stage of reporting all the way through to sentencing.

“Prosecutors have a responsibility in legislation to consider appeals based upon undue leniency in sentencing.

“Such appeals are rare but important to ensure the public interest is properly served.

“They allow the court to review sentences that the Crown believe fall outside the range of punishment reasonably considered appropriate.

“COPFS believes that it is important that the harm caused by sexual offending, and the culpability of the convicted person, must be consistently reflected in sentencing decisions.”

McNealis was 19 when he attacked and raped the first young woman on two separate occasions in 2016.

He was 23 and 24 when he raped the second victim on various occasions in 2020 and 2021.