Man who faked death and fled to Spain found guilty of rapes

James Clacher was found in Spain after two years on the run

A man who staged his own death then fled the country has been convicted of raping two women.

James Clacher used dating sites to prey on his victims and carried out his crimes in their own homes in 2019 and 2020.

The 57-year-old former gym boss then went missing in May 2022 while facing the charges. He was found in Spain and extradited to Scotland to stand trial.

Clacher was convicted of two rape charges following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow. He will be sentenced at a later date.

Clacher was last seen in Airdrie on 30 May 2022.

His car was found dumped at a car park in Loch Long in Argyll and Bute, alongside a note suggesting he planned to end his life.

Missing person

Police issued a fresh missing person's appeal for the gym owner 18 months later in November 2023.

It later emerged Clacher had escaped the UK and fled to Spain. He was found by the Spanish Civil Guard living in Nerja in the Costa Del Sol in May 2024.

He was described as "hanging upside down" on gym equipment on a beach before being brought back to Scotland to stand trial.

After eventually being found, he told police how he had survived in the wild on "berries and puddle water" before leaving the UK.

Police released this CCTV still of Clacher which was captured on the day he disappeared

The trial heard Clacher attacked two women that he met on dating apps.

The first victim told the court how she was raped by a fitness instructor she had known as James Clarke who she met on Tinder.

She recalled how she was attacked within "10 to 15 minutes max" of him turning up at her home in Ayrshire in August 2019.

The woman said she was grabbed, pushed against a wall and sexually assaulted.

She told the court: "He did not say a word. I said: 'I do not like this. I do not want to do this'. I kept saying that.

"He was just ignoring me. My body started shaking and I started crying."

The court heard how he then forced her upstairs and raped her again in her bedroom.

After the attacks, Clacher claimed he had to leave as his brother had suffered a heart attack. The woman did not initially report the crime to police.

But there was further contact between herself and Clacher in which she branded him "a predatory rapist" and "a vessel for what you wanted".

The woman got in touch with Tinder as she said she did not want anyone else to be "hurt by him".

Second victim

The court heard Clacher raped a second woman who he had met on the Bumble dating app.

The attack occurred at the victim's home in Glasgow in September 2020.

They had gone for food and went for a walk on the beach before returning to her flat to watch a movie.

This woman accepted she went on to take her dress off and Clacher - who she knew only as James - also removed some of his clothes.

He initially tried to have sex with her, but she directed him back to the film.

She spoke of feeling "scared" as he grabbed one arm with her other against a couch.

He stayed in her flat for 20 minutes after the attack then claimed he was "sorry" but that he would like to see her again.

This woman reported him to the police which led officers to the first victim.

Clacher - who helped run a gym in Airdrie, Lanarkshire - denied the charges and claimed any sexual contact was consensual and it was "not in his DNA to hurt anyone".

Lord Cubie remanded him in custody pending sentencing on 1 October in Edinburgh.

The judge stated Clacher had acted in a "warped and self-centred manner" and warned him to expect a lengthy jail-term.

Det Insp Bruce Fyfe of Police Scotland said it was "difficult to comprehend the distress and suffering Clacher caused the women in this case".

He added: "As the investigation into the missing person and sexual offences progressed, it became clear he had left the country to evade justice after faking his own death.

"This conviction demonstrates our commitment to thoroughly investigating serious offences and pursuing those who seek to avoid prosecution, no matter where they go."