Controlling rapist who isolated victim from her family jailed

A controlling rapist who repeatedly sexually assaulted a woman and isolated her from her friends and family has been jailed for six years.

Kerr Armstrong also shouted, swore and made derogatory and threatening remarks towards the woman.

The 26-year-old subjected the woman to repeated sex crimes during which she was attacked and raped at addresses in the Scottish Borders and at a property in East Lothian.

During controlling behaviour he prevented her contacting friends and demanded that she did not speak to other men.

Armstrong had denied a series of charges during a trial but was found guilty in March of three offences of rape and a further charge of engaging in a course of abusive behaviour towards the victim.

The offending occurred between February 2020 and December 2021 and took place in Hawick, Galashiels and Cockenzie.

On Wednesday, he was jailed at the High Court in Edinburgh. He had previously been placed on the sex offenders register.

The woman previously told the High Court in Edinburgh: “I wasn’t allowed friends of the opposite gender, and if I spoke to someone of the opposite gender, he would accuse me of cheating on him.”

She said: “I often told him to stop when we were having sex and he didn’t stop.

“Sometimes it was just easier to give in to him and not put up a fight.”

During the abuse, Armstrong monitored her movements and persistently phoned and sent her messages, demanding to know where she was and who she was with.

He demanded the woman provide passwords to her mobile phone and social media accounts and accessed her phone and read her messages.

He threatened he would kill her and any future person she began a relationship with, and threatened to make false reports to the police concerning her.

During some of the sexual assaults perpetrated against the woman, he seized her body, restrained her, and groped and molested her.

Constable Craig Turnbull said: “Armstrong is a violent and depraved individual who now faces the consequences of his abhorrent actions.

“Our thoughts remain with his victim, and I hope his sentencing provides her with some measure of comfort. His conviction is as a direct result of her strength in coming forward and assisting our investigation.

“Police Scotland will always thoroughly investigate, and we are here to listen and support victims. Anyone who is a victim of abuse or believes they know someone who may be a victim, please contact us or relevant support agencies.”