Image copyright Iain McLellan/SpindriftAn ice-hockey player who raped a young woman has had his four-year prison sentence doubled.
Colin Grimason, 27, from Belfast, was last year convicted of dragging his victim into an alley in Dumfries and sexually assaulting her.
Prosecutors argued that the sentence given to Grimason was unduly lenient and the appeal courts agreed.
Ordering Grimason to serve eight years, Lady Dorrian said the assault involved a “significant amount of violence”.
She added: “The trial judge did not give sufficient attention to the significant factors in this case.”
Crown Office lawyers had argued the circumstances of the assault meant that the trial judge, Lord Armstrong, should have given the first offender a longer prison sentence.
‘Made to relieve her ordeal’
Prosecutor Jane Farquharson QC pointed out that the victim, who was 26 at the time of the attack, suffered “serious” internal injuries as a result of the assault.
She also said that people who had committed similar offences to this “serious physical assault” in the past had been given longer sentences.
Ms Farquharson also pointed out that because Grimason, who used to be a mechanic in the Northern Irish fire service, had denied any wrongdoing, the case had gone to trial and the victim was “made to relieve her ordeal in forensic detail before a court”.
Appeal judges Lady Dorrian, Lord Menzies and Lord Turnbull agreed with the submissions made by Ms Farquharson.
Grimason’s advocate, Bert Kerrigan QC, argued that Lord Armstrong interpreted the law correctly.
The court previously heard how Grimason – who played for the Belfast Prowlers – had been in southern Scotland for an ice-hockey tournament when he carried out the attack.
Following his conviction in June, his victim spoke out to encourage other women to report sexual assaults.
Content provided by the BBC. Original piece can be found here https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-48232728
