Police officer guilty of raping teenage girl and woman in Shetland

A serving police officer has been found guilty of raping a teenage girl and a woman in Shetland.

Carmichael John Williamson - known as John Williamson – was found to have engaged in sexual activity with a girl when she was under the age of 16 in 2014 and raped her between 2014 and 2015.

Williamson, of Burra, Shetland, also raped a second woman in 2020 and again in 2022 when she was intoxicated and unable to consent.

The 32-year-old had denied the offences but was found guilty by a jury following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh. He will be sentenced on 8 December.

Williamson cried in the dock after being told he would be remanded in custody when the verdict was delivered.

He was handcuffed and said "I love you" to his partner as he was led away.

Judge John Morris KC described it as an "anxious and distressing" trial.

Williamson was initially charged with nine offences, but five were dropped by the Crown before the closing speeches.

Williamson was found guilty of having underage sex with the girl, who had contacted him on Snapchat, on various occasions between April and September 2014 at various locations in the islands.

He was also convicted of raping the teenager on one occasion between April 2014 and October 2015.

Williamson had denied a sexual relationship between him and the girl had started before she had turned 16.

He said he could only recall having sex with her the day after her 16th birthday.

Williamson was also found guilty of exposing himself to the adult woman when he sexually assaulted her in August 2020.

A second attack took place outside a wedding at a community hall which Williamson had also attended.

The woman told the court she did not feel "truly in control of her actions" during the incident in April 2022.

She said she was intoxicated and incapable of consenting to sexual activity during that attack and another at a house later the same evening, where she said Williamson "slapped" her.

The court heard Williamson – a police constable for 10 years – was suspended by Police Scotland in January 2024.

Williamson was previously a special constable before joining the force.

He is the fourth current or former Police Scotland officer to be exposed as a rapist this year.

In July, a BBC Disclosure investigation revealed that PC Alan Greer was a violent rapist who had attacked and attempted to murder several women over a 14-year period.

Greer took his own life in May at the age of 47.

Weeks later, another former officer, Cameron Ross, was jailed for 10 years after being found guilty of raping two women and abusing a third on the Isle of Lewis.

Former police sergeant Campbell Petrie was convicted in September of two counts of rape and a number of other charges including physical and sexual abuse towards two women in Glasgow.

He is due to be sentenced for his crimes on Friday.

Police Scotland's chief constable Jo Farrell previously told BBC Scotland 45 serving officer were currently suspended over allegations of violence towards women and girls.

Not all are currently part of criminal investigations.

Det Supt Stevie Bertram, of Police Scotland's public protection unit, said: "Williamson will now face the consequences of his actions and today's outcome should highlight our determination to relentlessly pursue the perpetrators in these investigations.

"Reports of violence against women and girls are rising and it is of the utmost importance for Police Scotland to play its part in tackling this national emergency."

Williamson was placed on the sex offenders' register while sentencing was deferred so that reports could be obtained.