AN ANGUS mechanic has been found guilty of carrying out a string of violent sex attacks on Dundee prostitutes.
Kenneth Jolly faces a spell behind bars after being convicted by a jury of raping one woman and indecently assaulting three others.
Jolly (54), of Pitreuchie Place, Forfar, was cleared of three further charges at the High Court in Perth yesterday.
He will spend Christmas in custody before being sentenced early next year.
The court heard during the two-week trial that the married father-of-two would pick up prostitutes in Dundee before taking them to a caravan on the outskirts of the city.
Jolly denied the charges and said any sexual contact that took place was consensual.
He was alleged to have committed the offences over a period of 12 months from June 2010.
The trial heard from the seven prostitutes named in the charges, a number of whom fled the courtroom in tears under cross-examination from Donald Findlay QC.
Advocate depute Leanne Cross told the jury: “The witnesses told the accused they did not want certain sexual acts and told him to stop when he did it anyway.
“They are not talking about misunderstandings they are describing non-consensual sexual activity.
“Kenneth Jolly paid prostitutes, lied about doing it and thought he could do whatever he wanted with them.”
Mr Findlay argued that a number of the women had been shown to have told “lies” to the jury.
He added: “The fact that the man paid for sex is neither here nor there.”
A jury of eight men and seven women took around six hours to deliver their majority verdicts, having begun their deliberations on Friday morning.
An eighth charge alleging abduction and rape was earlier dropped by the Crown.
Presiding judge Lord Boyd told Jolly: “You have been convicted of very serious offences against a number of women.
“I order a criminal justice social work report and as part of that I wish there to be a risk assessment to determine the extent to which you may or may not continue to be a danger to women.”
Praising the prostitutes who appeared in court to give evidence, Lord Boyd added: “We have had an insight into the tragic lives some people lead in order to fund their heroin addictions.
“What came across was the extent to which heroin takes over, crushes and destroys people’s lives.
“I would like to pay tribute to the courage the individual women showed in coming forward to give evidence.
“It is a life short on dignity and respect but in coming forward they have bravely seen to it that justice has been done.”
Sentence was deferred until January 14 at a sitting of the High Court in Aberdeen.
Jolly was remanded in custody and placed on the sex offenders register.
sgillespie@thecourier.co.uk