Serial sex offender tried to rape woman in Dunfermline park

Dean Stevens – who was previously jailed for raping a schoolgirl – attacked the woman in Pittencrieff Park last May.

His victim was walking through the park early on a Sunday morning to meet a colleague who was giving her a lift to work when the fiend struck.

The 25-year-old screamed for help before biting Stevens’ fingers as he tried to push her over. She ran off and made her way home and alerted police to her ordeal.

Stevens, 40, was identified and arrested at his home in the town days later and pled guilty to attacking the woman with intent to rape during a previous hearing at the High Court in Edinburgh.

He was sentenced via video-link from prison and ordered to serve a minimum 27 months behind bars.

Judge Lady Carmichael also made Stevens the subject of an Order for Lifelong Restriction(OLR) meaning he will only ever be freed if he is no longer judged a threat to women and girls.

Under the terms of the OLR Stevens also faces being monitored and supervised for the rest of his natural life. He has also been placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely.Jailing Stevens, Lady Carmichael told him: “You pleaded guilty to assaulting a woman who was previously unknown to you with the intention of raping her. You were apparently intoxicated at the time. You followed her as she was on her way to work early in the morning, and attacked her in a park in Dunfermline.

“That offence even taken alone would be very serious, and one which would give rise to concern as to the risk you pose to women. You also have previous convictions for sexual offences. In 2006 you were sentenced to an extended sentence of 9 years, including a custodial term of 6 years, for raping a 15-year-old girl who was not known to you.

“In 2018 you were sentenced to a community payback order for a contravention of section 8 of the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009. You were subject to supervision for 36 months, and were still subject to that supervision when you committed this offence.

“I have been provided with a risk assessment report. It indicates that you present a high risk of offending again in a similar way in the future. You have an enduring propensity to cause serious harm to the public, and limited capacity for change.”

She added: “The sentence is for an indeterminate period, and if you come to be released, it will only be at such time as the Parole Board is satisfied that your imprisonment is no longer necessary for the protection of the public.”

Following the hearing, Detective Inspector Kelly McEwan, of the Fife Divisional Rape Investigation Unit, said: “We welcome today's sentence, in particular the imposition of the Order for Lifelong Restriction which affords the protection of an indeterminate sentence, ensuring that Stevens' release is not guaranteed after his minimum sentence is served and he will not be released until the Parole Board are satisfied that imprisonment is no longer necessary for the protection of the public.

“This was a terrifying attack which I've no doubt was sexually motivated and would have been even more severe if the woman had not managed to fight him off.

“Fortunately she was not seriously injured but was left extremely shaken and upset. I want to thank her for her courage."

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.