Dundee rapist who preyed on girls warned he could face life sentence

A rapist who subjected women and children to a horrific catalogue of brutality and abuse was today warned he could face a life sentence.

Frank Mayne, 55, preyed on two girls and two women during a 17-year long crime spree beginning in 2000.

A judge ordered that a full risk assessment report be prepared on the rapist which can result in the imposition of an Order for Lifelong Restriction (OLR).

Under an OLR, which is reserved for the most serious sexual and violent offending short of murder, a court sets the minimum period that must be served in jail, with parole authorities deciding any future release.

Lord Pentland told Mayne at the High Court in Edinburgh that he was "entirely satisfied" on the basis of comprehensive information before him that the risk criteria were met in his case for seeking a full report.

The judge said that to a substantial degree the sex offender continued "to deny and minimise the gravity of his conduct".

Lord Pentland said: "It is also of enormous concern that he attempted to lay responsibility for certain of these offences on his child victims."

Mayne was earlier convicted of 15 charges of rape, assault, indecency and indecent assault.

He had denied the crimes committed in his home city of Dundee and in Tayport, in Fife, but a jury unanimously found him guilty of 13 of the offences and convicted of the remaining two on majority verdicts.

Horror film fan Mayne, a prisoner in Perth, admitted further charges of possessing indecent images of children.

Lord Pentland told him at the end of the trial at the earlier trial that he had been convicted of "a horrific catalogue of sexual and violent offences".

Sentence was deferred on Mayne until today for the preparation of initial reports on him.

Mayne groomed youngsters before repeatedly abusing and raping them and his vicious treatment of adult victims extended to subjecting one woman to a knifepoint rape ordeal.

The court heard that during sex attacks on one girl in Dundee Mayne would spit on her before subjecting her to rape ordeals from the age of 11.

He made another child victim watch pornography, filmed sex acts and raped her from when she was 14. He first began abusing her when she was aged six.

During an attack on an adult woman Mayne grabbed her by the throat, submerged her head under water and dragged her from a bath at a flat in the Hilltown area of Dundee before holding a knife to her neck and subjecting her to a rape ordeal.

One victim, now aged 26, said that when she first met Mayne as a child he seemed "a very nice man".

But he began to make her feel uncomfortable and started to touch her and make remarks such as 'You are looking beautiful today'.

She told the court that Mayne became obsessed by her appearance and began making sexual moves on her. He started molesting her and carrying out sex acts and went on to rape her.

She said: "He just kept on saying 'Is that good? Is that good?'. But in my head it was a very, very painful experience.

"I didn't know what was happening. He just told me to be quiet. he always used to repeat 'You are going to enjoy it'," she said.

The woman said Mayne had a camera and told her he was going to make a video featuring her and she would enjoy watching it.

She said she was petrified to speak out and fearful that Mayne would hurt her relatives.

She told the court that when she as a child was watching Mr Blobby and The Singing Kettles videos Mayne was indulging his taste for horror movies and violent films.

Defence solicitor advocate Chris Fyffe said Mayne had a history of substance abuse, involving drugs and drink.

He said that Mayne wanted to get help for his offending behaviour and recognised the need for it.

Sentence was further adjourned on Mayne until later in the year.

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