Violent rapist Craig Morrison who subjected woman to catalogue of abuse spanning four decades jailed

A violent rapist who subjected a woman to a horrific catalogue of sexual, physical and verbal abuse has been jailed for ten and a half years.

Craig Morrison, 62, repeatedly perpetrated attacks on his victim at addresses in Aberdeen.

During one assault on the woman he turned her upside down and struck her head on the floor, resulting in the victim sustaining a fracture.

A judge told Morrison at the High Court in Edinburgh: “It was clear that you terrorised her. While the acts of rape eventually ceased the impact on your victim persisted.”

Lady Wise said that Morrison’s “violent, degrading and controlling behaviour” has had consequences for the victim and others.

The judge said he created “an atmosphere of fear and dread” over what he would do next.

Lady Wise noted that Morrison continued to deny responsibility for the rape offences and sought to blame the victim for the violence.

She told him: “There is no alternative to a significant prison sentence.” The judge said such a disposal was required to mark the seriousness of his behaviour and society’s disapproval of it.

Morrison had denied a series of charges during an earlier trial but was found guilty of all six offences before the jury, including crimes of rape, assault, breach of the peace, threatening or abusive behaviour and breaching bail.

The offending occurred between 1982 and 2021 and during it he shouted and swore, damaged property and hurled food.

He also punched and kicked the woman and struck her head against the floor. He grabbed her by the hair and body and pushed and pulled her into a bedroom and subjected her to rape ordeals.

The victim told the jury at his trial: “I would have done anything to stay alive, to take no more hidings, no more rapes.”

The woman, who gave a statement to police in 2020, said she was “extremely distressed” at the time.

Defence counsel Drew McKenzie said alcohol was previously a problem for Morrison but he has resolved that and stopped drinking.

Mr McKenzie said was a relatively young man when the offending began and obtained medication after suffering depression.

Morrison was told he would be placed on the sex offenders’ register for an indefinite period.