Police Scotland has commented on the sentencing yesterday of Stephen Charters at the High Court in Edinburgh for a series of non-recent sexual offences, including rape.
Charters, 57, was found guilty of the offences against four women in Edinburgh, committed between November 1984 and October 2015, at the High Court in July 2021.
He was sentenced to five years in prison yesterday and given an Order for Lifelong Restriction (OLR) – one of the most unique sentences that can be given for non-murder cases. This means he will be subject to conditions and monitoring for the rest of his life.
Detective Inspector Jonny Wright said: “I would like to commend the victims for coming forward. Despite the passage of time, they were able to give us information which allowed detectives to carry out this investigation. Had it not been for their bravery in coming forward and giving evidence in court, Charters could have gone unpunished.
“Charters denied these crimes, but extensive work carried out by officers and partners, including the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), means that he has now been brought to justice.
“This case is an example of no matter when the incident happened, Police Scotland will always thoroughly investigate and we are here to listen and support victims and have specially trained officers to carry out enquiries.
“We continue to be committed to bringing all perpetrators of sexual abuse to justice and time is no barrier for our enquiries. I would urge anyone who wishes to report sexual crime, regardless of when it happened, to contact us so we can conduct a thorough and professional investigation.”
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