Rapist abused women, children and dogs over three decades

A rapist inflicted a catalogue of cruelty and abuse on women, children and dogs.

Garry Martin perpetrated a series of attacks and sex crimes during nearly three decades of violence against victims.

The 51-year-old from Kirkcaldy, Fife, had denied a string of charges during a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh but was found guilty of 19 offences of rape, indecent assault and conduct, assault and ill-treatment of dogs.

A judge told him: “The jury has today convicted you of a series of extremely serious offences of a violent and sexual nature.”

Lord Arthurson told Martin that he should now expect to receive a “very significant” prison sentence following the guilty verdicts returned against him.

The court heard that although Martin has a record for offending he has never previously served a jail sentence.

He was on bail during his trial but the judge remanded him in custody following the verdicts and called for a background report and risk assessment to be prepared on Martin ahead of sentencing next month.

Defence solicitor advocate John Scott QC said: “Clearly a period of imprisonment is now inevitable.”

Martin’s offending began in 1995 when he repeatedly subjected a woman to attacks at an address in Kirkcaldy.

During the assaults she was struck on the head with his hands, grabbed and dragged by the hair and body and stamped and spat on.

He also began assaulting a girl in 1995 when she was aged seven and in attacks over the next four years at houses in Leven and Kirkcaldy she was pinned against a wall, hit on the head and body with his hands, struck with a can and kicked.

During a further attack in 2000 at a house in Thornton, he attacked another woman who was grabbed by the hair and held down, repeatedly punched on the head and bitten on her body.

The following year at addresses in Kirkcaldy and Windygates, he assaulted a further woman who was dragged by the hair, pushed to the ground and thrown over a sofa. The victim was also punched and thrown down stairs.

Between May 2003 and July in 2006 Martin also beat, kicked and ill-treated a dog in incidents in Kirkcaldy and Markinch.

Another woman was subjected to assaults by him between 2003 and New Year’s Day in 2006 in Kirkcaldy and Markinch when she was punched, kicked and pulled by her hair, with Martin attempting to topple furniture onto her.

Martin also attacked a young boy at a house in Kirkcaldy between November 2004 and December 2005. He hit the child with his hand and threw food at him.

He went on to rape a woman and a girl at an address in Kirkcaldy and beat and kicked a second dog in the Fife town.

In 2009 he carried out further sex attacks on another woman in his home town and assaulted her while she was asleep.

Between January 2012 and January 2014 he committed assaults on a further woman at addresses in Kirkcaldy and punched her on the head, threw items at her and threatened her with violence.

Martin was placed on the sex offenders’ register.