Serial rapist in Fife faces lengthy jail sentence

David MacBride (44), formerly of Kirkcaldy, was brought back to Scotland from Spain this year to face justice after failing to turn up for a court hearing in 2016 and fleeing abroad.

He had denied a catalogue of offending against adult woman and children but was found guilty of eight rape crimes and three sexual assaults.

A judge told him at the High Court in Edinburgh: “You have been convicted by the jury of dreadful sexual crimes committed against five females, including two children.”

Lord Uist adjourned the case for the preparation of a background report on MacBride who has never previously served a prison sentence. He was remanded in custody ahead of sentencing in October.

But the judge warned him: “You may take it you face a very long custodial sentence for these crimes.”

Lord Uist told jurors that they had to listen to “some distasteful and sordid evidence” during MacBride’s trial.

MacBride, formerly of Westwood Avenue, carried out sex assaults on women and children between 2007 and 2014 at addresses in Cardenden, Glenrothes, Burntisland, Kirkcaldy, Methil and Dunfermline during that period. Some women were subjected to multiple rapes.

One woman, who met him when she was a teenager, said that she was the victim of sex attacks “more than once”

The 29-year old said she tried to kid on she was sleeping when MacBride arrived at her flat.

She told the court: “He grabbed my arms. He pinned them against the bed. I tried to struggle. He was too strong.’’

The victim, who was 19 at the time, said she was “quite panicked” and told MacBride to get off but he ignored her pleas to stop.

A second woman, now aged 44, said MacBride turned up unexpectedly at a flat she had moved into in Glenrothes in 2010.

The woman said she surprised to see him but agreed to let him stay the night while she slept on a couch. She said she woke up and found MacBride trying to carry out a sexual assault on her.

She said she pretended to be asleep because she “was not sure what he was going to do next”. She said: “I just froze.”

But she said her daughter came in and caught MacBride in the act and began shouting at him and threatened to phone the police prompting him to leave.

A girl revealed that MacBride had first abused her when she was aged five. She told the court she was left feeling scared and added: “He said not to tell anyone or my mum would go to jail.”

During recorded interviews with the child, now aged 13, she revealed she was having nightmares about MacBride “coming to get us”.

She said MacBride made her touch him, and abused her on an occasion when he was left with her as other family members attended a relative’s funeral.

The accused claimed that one of the women was out to get him and was seeking revenge against him.

He was placed on the sex offenders’ register.