Masked intruder jailed for horrific rape of 84-year old woman in her Fife home

Kyle McKenzie (23) left his distressed victim in shock and pain.

He fled from the house in Glenrothes only after the woman managed to activate an alarm.

An adviser from a community alarm team called the pensioner and the crying woman told him: "Please send someone as quickly as you can, I've just been raped. Please."

The High Court in Edinburgh heard that during the attack, the woman was struggling for breath and told McKenzie as she lay on the floor of her bedroom: "You are going to kill me."

But during the ordeal she remembered her alarm and got her attacker to help move her onto a bed where he continued to sexually assault her, but she could reach the help device.

Lord Boyd of Duncansby said: "It is difficult to put into words the revulsion that all right-thinking people will have for your conduct that night.”

The judge said he was provided with two victim impact statements from the woman which he said were particularly difficult to read as she described the searing pain she suffered in the attack and the psychological impact, including nightmares and flashbacks.

Lord Boyd said: "There is another side to this remarkable woman. She told me of the kindness she has received from those who cared for her."

The judge said: "She is a remarkably brave and inspiring lady. All of this stands in marked contrast to your brutality and cowardice."

Lord Boyd ordered that McKenzie should be kept under supervision for a further five years and told him that if he had been over 25 the starting point for his jail term would have been 14 years "and may have been considerably longer".

The judge acknowledged that he had suffered adverse childhood experiences, including the suicide of his mother, but said he was "an intelligent young man".

He told McKenzie: "You knew perfectly well what you were doing was wicked in the extreme."

First offender McKenzie, who was living between addresses in Glenrothes and Falkirk earlier admitted breaking into the woman's home in the early hours of June 25, 2020 and assaulting and raping the widow.

He also pleaded guilty to committing a break in at an elderly couple's home in Glenrothes earlier that morning during which he stole a decanter.

McKenzie's guilty plea to the rape came late in proceedings. He had previously claimed that his victim consented to the sex.

Advocate depute Graeme Jessop told the court that the woman’s ordeal began about 5:00 am when she awoke to find the bed covers being pulled from her.

The prosecutor said: "She observed a male wearing all black clothing and a balaclava brandishing a garden tool. He stated 'Don't scream. Don't resist'."

But the woman chose to resist and during a struggle with McKenzie as she grabbed the hand containing the weapon she realised he was wearing rubber gloves.

Following a police investigation, McKenzie was arrested at the home of a known associate in Kirkcaldy, on July 7. He had visible scratch marks to both sides of his neck.

Mr Jessop said: "En route to Kirkcaldy Police Station the accused stated: "Allegation of rape, that'll ruin me. Are the papers gonna know my name?"

Defence solicitor advocate Krista Johnston said that for a considerable time after the offence McKenzie was unable to accept the enormity of what he had done.

She said: "He accepts it now."

She argued against the imposition of an indeterminate sentence on McKenzie, pointing out he was assessed as presenting a medium risk.

She said: "His motivation to change is assessed as being genuine and sustained."

McKenzie was place on the Sex Offenders' Register.

After seeing McKenzie jailed, senior investigating officer DI Darren Stewart said: “Kyle McKenzie is clearly a very dangerous, opportunistic individual.

“He carried out particularly brutal attack on a vulnerable woman, submitting her to a harrowing ordeal in the one place in the world she should have been safest, her own home.

“He showed no contrition for his reprehensible behaviour when he was charged. However, he will now face the consequences of his actions having admitted his guilt.

“A large scale police investigation was carried out following this incident which ultimately identified McKenzie as being the individual responsible.

“I want to take the opportunity to thank the public and partner agencies for their assistance and information provided, particularly in providing support to the woman involved.

“Police Scotland treats all reports of sexual crime with the utmost professionalism and sensitivity in order to bring perpetrators of such crimes such as Kyle McKenzie to justice.“