South Lanarkshire man jailed for raping 15-year old girl

A rapist attacked a 15 year-old girl while his wife was in the next room, a court heard.

Thomas Allan claimed he had consensual sex with the teenager which had left him feeling “embarrassed”.

But, the young victim recalled how the 58 year-old had been violent with her during the crime at his home in Coalburn, South Lanarkshire.

He is now behind bars after he was convicted of the June 2017 rape.

Allan - who denied all accusations - will be sentenced next month.

The High Court in Glasgow heard the rape victim had been at Allan's family home last June.

He claimed the teenager had asked to talk to him.

They had apparently chatted about horses before Allan alleged they kissed.

Jurors heard Allan's wife was in bed at the time.

His advocate Lorraine Glancy put to him: “At that point you were 57, she was 15.

“Your wife was next door. Any idea how you came to be kissing her?”

Allan: “I don't know - it just happened.”

Allan said they then had sex, but he stated he now “wished it did not happen”.

He claimed afterwards he was “quite embarrassed” and believed the girl felt the same.

But, the victim instead told jurors she had been sleeping when she was awoken by a door and curtains being shut.

She recalled Allan being “quite violent”, her “wriggling”, but him then having sex with her.

The court heard the victim was left “traumatised”.

About the allegation, Allan said: “I had sex with her, but did not rape her.”

He claimed accusations were “beyond a joke”.

Asked why the girl would make the claims, Allan said: “I think she was embarrassed because I was older and she thought she would get into trouble.”

Allan was convicted of molesting and making inappropriate comments to three other girls in 2016 and 2017.

Judge Lord Kinclaven remanded Allan in custody and deferred sentencing for reports until March 2 in Aberdeen.