A “dangerous and manipulative” rapist breached a strict court order by staying at his then-girlfriend’s home without informing police.
A sheriff has questioned whether Alan Radcliffe had even told his ex-partner about his own dark past.
The 40-year-old was jailed in 2014 for raping women in Perth and Stirlingshire.
He was later sent back to jail after tracking down one of his victims and taunting her with a sinister threat, telling her: “It’s not over”.
The breach of his sexual offences notification requirements came to light after an ex-girlfriend accused Radcliffe of domestic abuse, including allegations he brandished a knife at her.
After a two-day trial at Perth Sheriff Court, Radcliffe was found not guilty of engaging in a course of abusive behaviour towards the woman between November 1 2022 and January 1 2023.
But he admitted breaching the court order by failing to tell police he was staying with the woman at her Kinross home for seven days or more within a 12-month period.
Public protection
Fiscal depute Duncan McKenzie said: “Mr Radcliffe is a registered sex offender who uses the alias AJ Heaps.
“He was released from HMP Perth on June 24 2022.
“On the same day, he attended at Perth police station and registered as was stipulated in the sexual offender notification requirements.”
The prosecutor said Radcliffe was given a leaflet outlining all conditions he was subject to, as well as a list of his obligations.
“During October 2022, he met a woman at the Salutation pub in Kinross,” Mr McKenzie said.
“They entered into a relationship and Mr Radcliffe stayed at her home address on a regular basis.”
This continued from November 1 until December 26 2022, when they separated.
“It was confirmed that during that time, Mr Radcliffe did not notify police to say he was staying at the woman’s address,” said Mr McKenzie.
“Following on from a report by the woman, the accused was traced at a friend’s address on January 27 2023.
“He was arrested and conveyed to Dundee police HQ, where he was cautioned and charged.”
Sheriff Alison McKay deferred sentence for background reports and said she wanted to know why Radcliffe had not told police about where he was staying.
“The notification requirements are put in place for a number of reasons,” she told Radcliffe.
“One of them is to protect the public.
“So it is of some concern that the background to you not telling police where you were staying appears to tie in with the beginning of an intimate relationship with a female – who appears from her evidence not to have known about your previous convictions.
“For that reason, I take a serious view of the charge before me.”
Violent and aggressive
Radcliffe, of Culliven Court, Perth, was jailed for eight years in 2014 after he was convicted of assault, two rapes and making threats against four women.
The court heard that he had been previously acquitted of sex attacks on other women in England.
Following the sentencing, Chief Superintendent John Thomson said: “Radcliffe is a dangerous and manipulative man who targeted women, lying to them in order to gain their trust.
“Once the relationship was established he would become violent and aggressive towards them, women he supposedly loved.”
Radcliffe was released half-way through his sentence.
In 2019, Perth Sheriff Court heard how he confronted one of his rape victims in the street and told her: “It’s not over.”
He was found guilty of acting in a threatening or abusive manner towards the woman and was jailed for two years.
Sheriff William Wood told him: “This is a lady who has been seriously traumatised by you on more than one occasion.
“You made the remark and it was clearly threatening. It was a significant threat to her health, welfare and safety.”
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