Victim 'lost count' of number of times she was raped by abusive partner

A violent rapist who attacked women in Fife and in Aberdeen has been told a jail sentence is inevitable, after he was convicted of assaults against victims spanning 13 years.

Scott Howarth, 35, began targeting his first victim in 2011 and subjected her to repeated rapes over a five-year period at addresses in Burntisland, Kirkcaldy and Leven, Fife.

The woman later told police that Howarth subjected her to both physical and sexual abuse and he said to her: “I am going to take it anyway.”

She told detectives: “He has raped me that much I could not tell you how many times he done it.”

The woman said that sometimes she would struggle and said ‘stop, stop” but at other times she would “freeze”.

She said there were occasions when she was being subjected to rapes that she was crying and she added: “He could see that.”

The woman gave a series of statements to police officers which were read to jurors at the High Court in Edinburgh as part of her evidence in the case.

She said at the time of the offending she was young and she was scared of Howarth, who would call her names like ‘s**t’ and ‘cow’.

Howarth, a prisoner, had denied a series of charges during a trial but was found guilty of five offences, two of rape and three of assault.

After the assault and rape of his first victim, he attacked a second woman at a house in Leven in March 2024 when he kicked the victim on the body and pushed her from a bed onto the floor.

A third woman was attacked and raped at an address in Aberdeen. Howarth kicked her on the head on April 7, 2024 and then raped her the following day.

He also subjected the victim to a further assault when she lost consciousness after she was struck on the face and head and Howarth put an arm around her neck and then compressed her neck, restricting her breathing to her injury and the danger of life.

Following the verdicts, the court heard that Howarth has numerous previous convictions.

Defence solicitor advocate Gordon Martin KC said Howarth was well aware that he faced a prison sentence.

The trial judge, Lord Braid, deferred sentence on him for the preparation of a background report. He said he was convicted of serious offences and a custodial sentence was inevitable.

Howarth was placed on the sex offenders’ register.