A Fife church leader who raped a teenage churchgoer after she made a cry for help to him was warned he could face a life sentence.
Stephen Charters, 56, attacked the teenager at Travelodges in Edinburgh and subjected her to sex assaults and rape.
Charters claimed the sex was consensual but his victim said it made her feel “horrible inside”
She added: “I just felt sick.”
The woman said of the ordeal: “I was just frozen. I couldn’t move.”
Charters had denied a string of sexual offences but was found guilty of nine crimes, including rape, sexual assault and indecent conduct towards four victims, committed between November 1984 and October 2015.
The jury at his trial was unaware Charters is currently serving a five-year jail sentence imposed on him in 2016 for a catalogue of sexual crimes against children, including rape and indecent conduct, dating back to 1977.
‘Cry for help’
Charters told the Edinburgh High Court of his Christian beliefs and said his final victim, whom he raped at two hotels had attended a church in Leven, Fife, where he acted as a worship leader.
The then-teenager had an argument with her boyfriend in October 2015 and was facing difficulties with accommodation.
She was in contact with Charters through social media and he went to pick her.
Advocate depute Steven Borthwick said: “It was a cry for help from her to you.”
Charters replied: “Yes, I suppose you could put it that way.
“I went over to help her out because she had no accommodation and she was scared.
“My hope was I would be able to contact her father and take her home.”
However, he booked into a hotel and raped her.
Lifelong restriction hopes
Charters, formerly from Galashiels, in the Scottish Borders, said he had regularly attended at a Baptist church in Edinburgh as a young man and played guitar at services.
He also preyed on people through the church and molested one underage girl and raped a woman.
Following Charters’ convictions for the latest offences Mr Borthwick said the Crown had a motion to call for a risk assessment order in his case.
Such a move can lead to the imposition of an Order for Lifelong Restriction.
The trial judge, Lady Carmichael, said she would call for a background report on the former bus driver in the first instance and continued consideration of the motion.
Sentence was adjourned on Charters until next month.
He remains in custody and was placed on the Sex Offenders Register.
