Violent rapist carried out brutal attacks on women over four decades

A violent rapist who inflicted a campaign of cruelty and brutality on women over four decades has been told it is “absolutely inevitable” that he faces a long jail term for his crimes.

Philip Berry, 60, began offending when he was a teenager in 1980 and was still carrying out sexual assault and rape in 2023.

Berry, of Methil, in Fife, originally went on trial at the High Court in Edinburgh after denying 18 charges of assault, indecent assault, sexual assault, rape and threatening behaviour.

However, during proceedings this week, he pled guilty to 15 crimes.

A judge told him: “During the trial you have pled guilty to a course of serious physical, psychological and sexually abusive conduct towards three women over a period of 43 years.”

Lord Scott told the engineer that custody was absolutely inevitable and said: “Be in no doubt, it is a lengthy custodial sentence, likely an extended sentence.”

During evidence, one woman said she was forced to go to Berry’s home by social security to get money, despite her protests that he was violent.

She took her young child with her, and Berry dragged her into the home and ripped off her clothing.

He then raped her in front of the child, who screamed for help.

Berry admitted assaulting and indecently assaulting the woman on various occasions between January 1980 and December 1988 at addresses in Fife.

During this time he tattooed her skin, forced her into the River Leven, in Fife, and held her head under water, dragged her by the hair and clothing and repeatedly punched and kicked her.

He also hit her on the head with a metal poker, fired a pellet gun at her, pushed her down stairs, held a knife to her throat and threatened her.

Berry also raped the woman during assaults between April 1983 and December 1988 when she was throttled, punched and dragged.

He also admitted repeatedly assaulting, indecently assaulting and raping a second woman in Fife between 1990 and 2010. He repeatedly forced the frightened woman to perform sex acts on him and raped her.

A third woman who was subjected to sexual assault by Berry in August 2023 went to the police, which led to an investigation into his crimes.

The judge deferred sentence on Berry for the preparation of a background report on him. He was remanded in custody.