Man jailed for ‘bestial’ rape of 15-year-old girl in Edinburgh

A rapist who escaped from a prison van was told he would never leave prison.

Aaron Strachan, 21, stalked, abducted and raped the 15-year-old in Edinburgh’s York Place area on May 25 last year.

He stabbed a man in an “unprovoked” attack in the Southbridge area the same day and attacked another man with a hammer in High Riggs on 28 May.

Strachan was due to be sentenced earlier this year but escaped as he was being driven from the Court of Session to the prison van following a hearing in January.

A massive police search was launched and he was recaptured in the city a few hours later.

The 21-year-old pleaded guilty to rape and two assaults on December 4, 2025, and pleaded guilty on Monday to attempting to defeat the course of justice.

At the High Court in Edinburgh on Monday, Judge Michael O’Grady KC imposed a life restriction order for Strachan to be kept in custody for at least five years, saying he may never be released.

Strachan first approached the 15-year-old girl while she was waiting at a bus stop in Edinburgh city center in the early hours of May 25.

After feeling uneasy, she walked towards Princes Street and Strachan was caught on CCTV following her, his face covered by a balaclava.

He then ran towards the girl sitting at a second bus stop and brandished a knife, threatening to harm her.

After grabbing her by the shoulders, he forcibly took her to the basement of York Place, where he blocked the door with wooden pallets before raping her.

Judge O’Grady told Strachan that her actions were “a nightmare for every woman, every young girl and every parent waiting at home for their children to return home safely”.

“The word predator is perhaps overused in these courts, but it is an unavoidable adjective to describe truly bestial crime,” he said.

“You left your lair and went after a defenseless victim.

“Once you found someone, you followed her, threatened her at knifepoint, took her to a filthy basement and raped her.”

Describing the other two attacks, he told Strachan they were “unprovoked” and carried out against “genuine strangers”.

He said that the victim suffered two stab wounds on her right hand in the attack on May 25, the same day as the rape.

In the subsequent attack, the judge told Strachan he hit his victim on the head with a metal hammer, leaving him on the floor “semi-conscious” and suffering a seizure.

It was later determined that the man had a fractured skull and suffered a cerebral hemorrhage; The judge said the consequences of the attack for the man were “catastrophic”.

The judge also laid out Strachan’s “relevant” criminal record and told him he had 18 previous court appearances on 38 separate charges, eight of which included gun possession.

The judge told Strachan he was “entirely satisfied” that he met the criteria for a lifetime restriction order; This is an indeterminate sentence that means an offender will not be released until he or she is deemed to no longer pose a risk to society.

The judge told him: “If you are actually released, you will probably remain in prison for many years.”

Strachan, who was handcuffed to security guards throughout the hearing, did not show any reaction during the sentencing.

Earlier, Strachan’s lawyer Simon Collins told the court his client’s actions were “extremely serious offences”.

“I accept that and Aaron Strachan accepts that,” Mr Collins told the court.

“The inevitable consequence of crimes of this seriousness is that he faces an extremely long period of detention.”

The court was also shown CCTV footage of the moment Strachan removed his handcuffs and ran away as he was taken from the Court of Session to a waiting prison van.

The footage shows Strachan, wearing a red top, walking towards the van between two guards, then releasing his hand and running quickly towards the Royal Mile.

Mr Collins told the court it was “a moment of impulsiveness” on Strachan’s part and said his client realized the handcuffs holding him to a security guard “were not tight enough to prevent him from removing his hand”.

Faye Cook, the Supreme Court prosecuting attorney for sexual offences, said: “Aaron Strachan’s actions in which he kidnapped his victim before raping her were calculated, predatory and caused deep harm.

“Although it is rare for such a foreigner to offend, this conviction reflects the seriousness of his crimes and the determination of prosecutors and police to bring him to justice.

Detective Inspector Gillian Wells, of Edinburgh’s Sex Offender Policing Unit, said: “This was a particularly harrowing attack which took place in the busy city center and had a profound impact on the young victim.

“I hope this sentence brings him some sense of closure.

“Other attacks also show what a violent individual Strachan is, regardless of the consequences of his actions.”