Key Facts

• Aaron Strachan, 21, was sentenced to a minimum of five years in prison with an order for lifelong restriction (OLR) for the abduction and rape of a 15-year-old girl in Edinburgh.
• Strachan pulled a knife on the girl at a bus stop on Princes Street, grabbed her by the shoulders, and marched her towards York Place, occasionally stopping to cover her eyes, before forcing her down a set of steps to a basement area littered with wooden pallets and crates.
• The court heard that Strachan had a criminal record of violence, robbery, and possession of weapons, and had also attacked a man with a hammer days later, causing severe injury, and had repeatedly stabbed another man on the hand with a knife.
• Strachan was caught days after the rape, and he admitted to the crime, as well as other charges, including serious assault against two male victims, and attempting to defeat the ends of justice by breaking free from his handcuffs and running off into the Royal Mile.
• Judge Michael O'Grady described Strachan's crimes as the "stuff of nightmares" and stated that it was "highly improbable" that Strachan's issues with violence and his mental disorder would be addressed in jail, making it likely that he will remain in prison for many years, if not the rest of his life.