Sex offender repeatedly raped woman while out on supervision

A convicted sex offender who repeatedly raped a woman while he was under supervision for another attack has been warned a jail sentence is “inevitable”.

Alan Hardie carried out sex assaults at addresses in the Borders after he was released from prison for previously raping another woman.

The 53-year-old, of Annan Road, Gretna, Dumfries and Galloway, denied a series of sex charges during his trial at the High Court in Edinburgh on Thursday, but was convicted of two offences of rape which occurred between 1997 and 2015.

During the sexual assaults committed at houses in Melrose and Kelso he pinned the woman down on occasions.

During questioning by defence counsel Brian McConnachie QC the 46-year-old woman denied that the sexual intercourse had taken place with her consent.

Hardie, who formerly worked at a recycling site, told the court he had previously been charged with rape.

He said he was given a four-year prison sentence beginning in January 1994.

Hardie said that during his jail term he had taken steps to address alcohol problems and had anger management courses.

He said following his conviction he was subject to sex offenders’ management and was under supervision until 2014.

Following the guilty verdicts the trial judge, Lord Beckett, adjourned sentence for the preparation of a background report on Hardie.

The judge told Hardie, who was on bail, that he would be remanded in custody and said that given the gravity of his crimes an “inevitable prison sentence” would be passed on him.

He was placed on the sex offenders’ register following his latest convictions.

Sentence was deferred until November 5.