Man pulled woman into secluded area in Aberdeen then raped her

A man pulled a young woman into a secluded area before subjecting her to a rape ordeal.

Caitano Azavedo, 40, grabbed his victim by the hand before sexually assaulting during the attack in Aberdeen.

Portuguese national Azavedo had denied assaulting and raping the woman at King Street in the city and at a field in Aberdeen Sports Village on October 22, 2023, during a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh.

But a jury found him guilty of the crime during which he seized her hand, pulled her to a quiet area, molested her and raped her.

Following the verdict, a judge was asked to continue bail for first offender Azavedo ahead of sentencing next month.

But judge Alistair Watson rejected the motion and remanded him in custody.

He told Azavedo: “You have been on bail until now. Bail was granted to you on the presumption of innocence.”

The judge said: “That presumption has gone, We know now that you are guilty of this serious criminal offence and in those circumstances it would be inappropriate to allow you to remain at liberty.”

He told Azavedo that the rape offence was “a very serious matter”.

The judge said it involved “an attack and the rape of a young woman simply going about her evening in Aberdeen that night”.

He said the court had to regard an offence of that kind as being “extremely grave”.

The judge told the rapist: “There is a very high likelihood that I will require to impose a lengthy period of imprisonment.”

The judge called for a background report to be prepared on Azavedo ahead of sentencing at the High Court in Glasgow on January 9.

He told him: “That will give me a much fuller picture of who you are and what has led you into this situation.”

Azavedo, who followed proceedings with the aid of an interpreter, was placed on the sex offenders’ register.