Former gym boss James Clacher handed jail term at High Court in Edinburgh for raping two women

A former gym boss who faked his own death and fled Scotland in a bid to escape justice has been sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment for the rape of two women.

James Clacher carried out the sex attacks in 2019 and 2020 after meeting his victims on the dating apps Tinder and Bumble.

He denied the charges but was found guilty by a jury at the High Court in Glasgow last month.

On Wednesday, he was handed an eight-year jail term with two years on licence.

Judge Lord Cubie told Clacher he needed to go to jail for his crimes.

He said: “I have considered the victim impact statements which are powerful; your actions have caused long term and wide ranging consequences – in loss of self-esteem, in the destruction of family and other relationships, in trust issues and in employment status. The effects were devastating, leaving the victims feeling broken.

“And your self-imposed exile in Spain exacerbated the ordeal for the complainers, who were faced with the prospect of proceedings coming to an end, reconciling themselves to that prospect, and then having to re-engage when you were found and returned.”

Clacher, 57, was reported missing from Airdrie in North Lanarkshire on May 30, 2022.

Clacher was facing trial on rape charges at the time.

His car, a Suzuki Swift, was found at the Loch Long car park in Arrochar, Argyll and Bute, the following day.

Despite trying to convince the authorities of his death, he was later traced to Spain.

Officers posing as tourists apprehended Clacher in the region of Nerja in the Costa Del Sol while he was exercising on a public beach on May 21, 2024.

It followed an investigation between Britain’s National Crime Agency and the Civil Guard’s UCO unit, which established he was “well integrated” into the community.

Gym boss James Clacher was last seen in Airdrie with his car found at the Loch Long car park in Arrochar, Argyll, on May 31, 2022. Police Scotland

He reportedly told a police officer on his extradition flight back to Scotland that he “survived on berries and puddle water” in the wild while initially on the run.

Detective inspector Bruce Fyfe said: “It’s difficult to comprehend the distress and suffering Clacher caused the women in this case.

“Following the missing person report, extensive inquiries were carried out to establish his whereabouts.

“As the investigation into the missing person and sexual offences progressed, it became clear he had left the country to evade justice after faking his own death.

“We worked closely with our international law enforcement colleagues, including the National Crime Agency and Spanish police and the perpetrator was subject to extraditions proceedings.”