Violent rapist Alistair Nicolson attacked women and abused young girl while plying her with cannabis

A violent rapist has been jailed for 14 years after sexually abusing an underage girl who was intoxicated with the cannabis he supplied.

Alistair Nicolson targeted the child on the Isle of Skye and carried out sex acts on her when she aged between 12 and 14 and under the influence of the drug.

Nicolson went on to rape the girl on a single occasion and assaulted her by slapping her at a house on the island.

The girl was one of four female victims who suffered at the hands of Nicolson during a decade of sexual and physical violence.

A judge told Nicolson, 55, at the High Court in Edinburgh that in sentencing him he took into account the impact of his offending and its profound and long-lasting effects.

Lord Weir told him: “The jury were satisfied you were responsible for a disgraceful course of conduct towards the complainers.”

He said: “It is apparent you maintain your denial of responsibility for any of the offending for which you were convicted.

Lord Weir pointed out that he has shown no remorse and told him there was no alternative to a custodial sentence.

Nicolson denied a series of charges at an earlier trial at the High Court in Inverness but was found guilty of nine offences, including rape, indecent conduct to a child, assault and assault to danger of life committed between 1991 and 2001.

Lord Weir said most of the crimes were committed at locations on the Isle of Skye but also on the Isle of Bute.

Nicolson admitted a further offence of possessing cannabis on various occasions at addresses in Skye and an address in Glasgow.

His first victim was repeatedly raped him by him between January 1991 and January 1996 and was subjected to violence during the same period.

Nicolson pulled her hair, spat on her, poured water on her, punched, kicked and butted her, threatened her with a knife, hammer and scissors and threatened to kill her.

He also hit the woman with a poker and a coal bucket and throttled her to the danger of her life. Nicolson also threatened to find a gun.

Nicolson was also committing crimes against his child victim during this period and attacked another woman at a house in Skye between August 1993 and June the following year when he grabbed her by the neck and threatened to hit her.

He resorted to violence against another woman at addresses on Rothesay, Isle of Bute, between January 1997 and April 2001 who was repeatedly punched and kicked, butted on the head, slapped on the face and had a cigarette stubbed out on her.

During a further attack on her at a house in Skye in April 2001 he repeatedly slapped and punched her face, head and body and broke a tooth. He stamped on her head and compressed her neck with his hands and threatened to kill her.

Defence counsel Mark Stewart KC told the court: “He accepts the jury verdict, as he must, but he respectfully disagrees with it.”

“He is aware these are very serious matters and he understands he will receive a custodial sentence which will be a lengthy custodial sentence,” he said.

Nicolson was placed on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely. The judge also made non harassment orders for an indefinite period banning Nicolson from contacting or attempting to contact three of the victims.