Violent rapist Thomas McCartney who held woman over a bridge loses legal bid to cut 12-year jail term

A violent rapist who held a woman over a bridge has lost a bid to cut a 12 year jail sentence after claiming the prison term imposed on him was excessive.

Thomas McCartney waged an 11-year campaign of sex crime, physical attacks and controlling behaviour towards victims whose lives he blighted in the Stirling area.

The 34-year-old was convicted of a total of 20 offences, including seven assaults, three rapes and a sexual assault, following a trial earlier this year at the High Court in Stirling after denying a series of charges. The offences occurred between 2009 and 2020.

The trial judge, Lord Mulholland, jailed him for 12 years and ordered that he be under supervision for a further two year period when he can be returned to prison if he breaches licence conditions.

Lawyers acting for McCartney appealed against the custody term but judges at the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh refused the legal challenge.

Lord Matthews, who heard the appeal with Lord Malcolm, said: “We reject the submission that the total sentence was excessive.”

Defence solicitor advocate Simon Collins said various grounds of appeal were put forward on behalf of McCartney, but only one survived the sifting process to be considered arguable.

Mr Collins said it related to the totality principle requiring that sentences should be fair and proportionate.

McCartney, who has previous convictions for assault, was found guilty of three types of offence at his trial – sexual crimes, physical violence and controlling behaviour towards women.

He started having unlawful sexual intercourse with one victim when she was an underage 14-year-old schoolgirl in 2009 and went on to rape her.

During assaults on the victim he punched her, kicked her on the head and on one occasion dragged her out of a house in Stirling.

He also attacked the woman at New Road, in Bannockburn, near to the Masonic hall, and seized her by the neck and body and held her over a bridge.

McCartney also threatened her with violence and monitored her use of a mobile phone and social media.

A second woman was subjected to repeated rapes by him in 2019, including a sex attack on her committed in a car in Stirling.

McCartney also repeatedly struck her on the head and spat on her and threatened violence towards her.