Man, 26, who raped and abused two women in the Highlands jailed

A man who raped and abused two women has been jailed for seven years at the High Court in Edinburgh.

Connor Whittlestone, 26, of Inverness, carried out the attacks between 2020 and 2024 in Inverness, Nairn and villages in the Highlands.

He denied a series of charges during an earlier trial but was found guilty of four offences of rape and one of assault with intent to rape. He was also guilty of abusive conduct towards the women.

Sentencing Whittlestone, Judge Michael O'Grady KC told him he had shown "no empathy and limited remorse" for his actions.

The judge said it was clear from victim impact statements the damage Whittlestone had done to the women's lives.

He said that Whittlestone had blame his victims, according to a background report prepared on the sex offender.

He said that in sentencing Whittlestone, he took into account his relatively young age at the time of the offences and his lack of maturity.

The judge ordered that the rapist should be under supervision and monitored in the community for a further two years when he will be on licence and can be returned to prison if he breaches its terms.

The court heard one of the women was raped three times.

Whittlestone also controlled and monitored her phone and social media use.

He raped a second victim in an attack in May 2024 at a house in Inverness.

The court heard he repeatedly made phone calls to the woman and sent her text messages, and tried to control her social life.

Defence counsel Mark Stewart KC said: "The accused maintains his position of denial in respect of the sexual offences."

He said that there were matters that required to be addressed in Whittlestone's thinking.

Whittlestone was placed on the sex offenders' register and the judge made non-harassment orders prohibiting him contacting or attempting to contact victims.