Former Royal Scots Raped Underage Babysitter As Son Watched

An army veteran has been sentenced to six years behind bars for reportedly raping an underage babysitter in the presence of his young son more than two decades ago.

William Whyte, a former Royal Scots soldier, allegedly repeatedly asked the teenager for sex when the victim was barely 15 years of age, reported BBC News.

Lord Braid, the judge at the High Court in Edinburgh, told Whyte that the 15-year-old minor had made it clear to the suspect that she did not want to have sex with him.

"She was crying and repeatedly said 'no' but nonetheless you went ahead and had sex with her without her consent," Lord Braid said.

According to Edinburgh News, Whyte, now 48, sexually assaulted the teenager at a house in Polbeth, in West Lothian, 25 years ago when he was just 23 years old.

Whyte, who hails from Moorelands, Addiewell, in West Lothian, denied the allegations raised against him. The charges included assaulting and raping the victim between March 1 and May 31 in 1996 after repeatedly asking her to engage in sexual intercourse, instructing her to undress, seizing her by the body, placing her on top of him, and pulling her underpants aside.

Though Whyte denied the charges raised against him, he was nevertheless convicted of the offense.

The woman, now 40, said that she ran out of Whyte's home distraught after the assault. She related that she had "recovered memories" of the abuse after experiencing intense flashbacks.

Another woman had also raised sexual abuse allegations against Whyte. The disgraced soldier, however, did not face a charge in relation to the other incident at the trial.

Whyte’s lawyer Ewen Roy defended his client saying that Whyte had "a difficult and traumatic childhood," mental health problems, and a long history of anxiety and depression. He also highlighted that Whyte had no criminal convictions at the time of the sexual assault.

Whyte was previously convicted in 2012 for being involved in the supply and selling of "Class A" drugs, serving a 40-month prison sentence.

Police officers raided his house and seized thousands of dollars in drugs including 14 kilos of benzocaine, commonly used to cut the "Class A" drug, and half a kilo of cocaine.

Whyte was also placed on the sex offenders' register indefinitely at the sentencing hearing.