Aaron Strachan, who was facing sentencing for stalking and abducting a teenage girl before raping her, escaped from his guards on January 13, fleeing the High Court in Edinburgh. CCTV footage captured the moment Strachan, 21, wriggled out of his handcuffs and ran off on foot. He had been due to be sentenced for the attack, which occurred on May 25, but the hearing was delayed due to his escape.
Strachan pleaded guilty on December 4, 2025, to rape, two assaults, and attempting to defeat the ends of justice. The judge, Michael O'Grady KC, stated that Strachan might never be released from prison. "The word predatory is perhaps overused in these courts, but it is an inescapable adjective to describe this truly bestial crime," the judge said. "You left your lair and went out hunting for a vulnerable victim. Finding one, you stalked her, threatened her at knifepoint and took her to a dingy basement and raped her."
Strachan approached the 15-year-old victim at a bus stop in Edinburgh. After she moved to another stop, he approached her again, wearing a balaclava and threatening her with a knife. He then forced her to his basement, where he raped her. He later forced the victim to show him her bus pass to learn her name. The judge described Strachan's actions as "the stuff of nightmares for every woman and every young girl, and every parent who waits at home for their child to return home safely."
In addition to the rape and abduction, Strachan was also convicted of stabbing one man in an unprovoked attack on the same day as the abduction, and attacking another man with a hammer three days later. The victim of the hammer attack suffered a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain, with the judge calling the consequences "catastrophic."
Strachan's criminal record includes 18 previous court appearances for 38 charges, eight of which involved weapons. He was arrested hiding in bushes in the Dalry area of the city after the initial attack on the teenager.
During the court hearing, Strachan's lawyer, Simon Collins, described his client's escape as a "moment of impulsiveness," noting that Strachan had realized his handcuffs were not tight enough. Judge O'Grady imposed an order for lifelong restriction, an indeterminate sentence requiring an offender to be held until deemed no longer a public risk. "You are likely to remain in prison for many years, if indeed you are ever released," the judge told Strachan.
Faye Cook, procurator fiscal for High Court sexual offenses, stated, "Aaron Strachan's actions in abducting his victim before raping her were calculated, predatory and caused profound harm. Although this type of stranger offending is rare, this conviction reflects the gravity of his crimes and the commitment of prosecutors and police to bring him to justice."