Rapist who worked as St Andrews greenskeeper guilty of string of sex attacks against women

Craig Slezas, 33, was remanded on Wednesday after being convicted of sexually assaulting four women during an eight year long campaign of offending.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard how three of his victims, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were subjected to rape.

Slezas, of Castle Street, Crail, had denied a string of charges during a trial. However, he was convicted of a total of 11 other offences committed between January 2008 and January 2016.

On Wednesday, a judge told him: "The jury have convicted you of a course of extremely serious sexual offending against a number of women, including four charges of rape."

Lord Arthurson rejected a motion by defence counsel Neil Murray KC to continue bail for Slezas, who is the main carer for his mother, while a background report is prepared on him ahead of sentencing.

The judge told Slezas: "Standing the gravity and scale of today's conviction and the inevitable substantial custodial disposal that awaits you, your bail order will be revoked and you will be remanded in custody."

Slezas had faced a total of 24 charges but several were withdrawn by the Crown and he was acquitted of two offences following the jury's verdict.

One of the rapist’s victims told the court of how she felt disgusted by the behaviour of Slezas, who worked as a greenkeeper at the Fairmont Hotel’s course in St Andrews.

The woman - who is now 33 - told the court that Slezas ignored her requests not to have sex whilst at a house in Fife.

She told prosecutor Peter Ferguson KC: “I told him I wasn’t in the mood. He kept on trying but I said I wasn’t interested. He then proceeded to climb on top of me.

“I just froze. I started crying.

“He got off me and he asked me why I was crying. I just cried.”

One of Slezas’s victims was a teenage girl who he molested in a car in St Andrews when she was aged 14 and he went on to have unlawful under age sex with the girl at the town's Craigtoun park, in a vehicle parked at a layby near Dairsie and at a beach in Fife.

Slezas later shouted and swore at her and sexually assaulted and raped her at a house in Anstruther on two occasions.

He also abducted another woman between January 1 in 2012 and December 31 at a house in Crail when he locked the door preventing her from leaving and assaulted her by seizing her by the body.

He subjected her to a further assault and rape at a house in Cupar, when he attacked her during the same period.

Slezas committed a further rape on another woman at a house in Fort William in the Highlands in January 2014.

His final crime was committed in January 2016 when he abducted a woman in a car in Methil, as he shouted and acted aggressively, refusing to stop the car and driving erratically resulting in her hitting the dashboard.

Slezas was placed on the sex offenders' register. He will be sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow on November 8.