SICK ATTACK

Glasgow Christmas Eve rapist told 80-year-old woman she was ‘like his granny’ as he faces potential life sentence

A JUDGE may impose a life sentence on a man who smashed his way into an 80-year-old woman's home and raped her.

John Laming, 32, struck on Christmas Eve 2019 at a house in Rutherglen just 12 days after he was released from jail.

His terrified victim yelled for help, but when no one heard callous, Laming taunted her saying: "Some neighbours you have got."

After raping the terrified pensioner, heating engineer Laming sat swigging from a can of juice and told her she was "strong like his granny".

Today at the High Court in Glasgow judge Lady Stacey ordered a risk assessment to be carried out on Laming.

Depending on the outcome of this Lady Stacey may decide to impose an order for lifelong restriction on Laming – the equivalent of a life sentence.

She said: “The nature of this offence must concern us all.”

Solicitor advocate Ann Ogg said: “He has very little recollection due to the amount of alcohol, sleeping tablets and prescribed medication he had taken.”

Ms Ogg said that the case could be dealt with by a prison sentence and an extended sentence and a risk assessment was not necessary.

She added: “Up until this incident there was no suggestion that he had ever acted inappropriately towards women.”

Laming, from Rutherglen, who admitted raping the OAP, has a previous conviction for robbery in 2015 and was jailed for four years.

Prosecutor Kath Harper said he was released from jail on December 12, 2019.

His victim was in bed when she was woken around midnight by the sound of smashing glass.

She was confronted by Laming and grabbed a metal pole and tried to hit him with it. She also tried to press a panic alarm, but it failed to go off.

Ms Harper said: "She was also screaming. Laming said 'some neighbours you have got' when no one heard."

She pleaded: with Laming saying: "What are you doing this to an 80 year-old lady for?"

He told her she was a "w***e" before going on to rape her in the dining room.

After the attack, Laming helped the terrified woman onto a chair.

Miss Harper added: "He told her she was 'strong like his granny'.

Laming left then returned to pick up a vape e-cigarette he had dropped at the crime scene.

The victim called her daughter to say a man had "kicked her door in".

Police also arrived and she was taken to hospital.

As she was being examined, she burst into tears and told a medic: "I fought back."

Her injuries included "multiple" bruises on her neck and body.

Laming was snared near his home late on Christmas Eve.

DNA and CCTV evidence helped link him to the crime.