Former bodybuilder jailed for raping women

A former bodybuilder who raped two women and sexually assaulted another has been jailed for 12 years.

Damien Harrier, 31, targeted the three women between 2018 and 2023 in Perth and Fife.

Harrier, formerly of Perth, denied the charges at an earlier trial but was convicted of nine offences, including five charges of rape.

He will be supervised in the community for three years following his release from jail and was placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Judge Lady Haldane said that although Harrier had never previously served time in jail there was no alternative to a custodial sentence given the number and seriousness of the convictions.

The judge said that she had read victim impact statements prepared in the case and that it was clear that the effects of Harrier's behaviour were serious and persisting.

She also made non-harassment orders banning Harrier from contacting or attempting to contact his victims.

The court heard that Harrier repeatedly raped a woman at a house in Perth between June and October 2018.

Between September 2021 and June 2022 he launched a course of abusive behaviour towards a second victim at locations in Perth and addresses in Fife.

He isolated the woman from friends, monitored her phone use, shouted and acted aggressively and punched a hole in a door.

He also hit the woman on the head with his hand during sex and subjected her to a sexual assault on one occasion.

A third victim was also targeted by Harrier between August 2022 and February 2023 when she was isolated from her friends and had her phone use and social media accounts monitored.

Harrier also prevented her from interacting with men and falsely accused her of giving him a sexually transmitted infection.

He raped the woman on three occasions at an address in Perth.

One victim told how she initially liked him. "I felt he was quite a cool guy. Maybe something of a bad guy as well, but towards me he was affectionate."

However, the woman said she then started to see another side of Harrier.

She said: "He got super, super angry all of a sudden."

The woman said he was "a big guy" and would act aggressively.

Defence counsel Angela Gray KC told the court that Harrier continued to deny the sexual offending, but "respects the jury verdict".

Gray said Harrier understood that some of the sexual practices he took part in were criminal and that harm had been caused.