Man who raped pregnant woman is given lifelong restriction order

A man who raped a pregnant woman and a stranger he met in the street has been handed a lifelong restriction order.

David Hamilton, 31, raped one woman in Glasgow’s Festival Park, and molested and abused another woman on numerous occasions, raping her while she was pregnant.

At the High Court in Glasgow on Friday, Hamilton was given a lifelong restriction order and told he must serve at least three-and-a-half years behind bars, the Crown Office said.

Fraser Gibson, Scotland’s procurator fiscal for High Court sexual offences, said the verdict showed that he was a “danger to women”.

“He attacked a woman who was known to him and a stranger unfortunate enough to cross his path,” Mr Gibson said.

“The fortitude of his victims in testifying has brought his contemptible behaviour to an end and made life safer for others.”

Hamilton committed the crimes between 2019 and February last year, and the Crown Office said.

He abused one victim on numerous occasions and, the jury heard, attacked a vulnerable teenager he bumped into by chance.

Hamilton followed and harassed the 18-year-old before grabbing her and carrying her into Festival Park in Govan, Glasgow, where she was raped and sexually assaulted, the Crown Office said.

In June, Hamilton, of Glasgow, was found guilty of four charges. He will be on the sex offenders register for the rest of his life.

An order for lifelong restriction is a jail sentence which can be given to people convicted of serious violent and sexual offences at the High Court.

The judge must set a minimum prison term before the parole board can consider them for release. If they are released after the minimum sentence, they are placed under supervision and can be sent back to prison.