Rapist jailed for 'disgusting' attack in Leven

Steven Devery had denied attacking a woman while she slept

A Fife rapist whose victim denounced his attack as "totally and utterly disgusting" has been jailed for six years.

Steven Devery, 45, from Leven, had denied raping the woman while she was asleep at a house in his home town between January 2004 and December 2005.

However, a jury at the High Court in Edinburgh earlier found him guilty.

He was also found guilty of a sex attack on a teenager in Methil, between December 2000 and November 2001.

He was acquitted of a further indecent assault between January 2005 and December the following year when he was alleged to have pushed a third woman against a wall and sexually assaulted her at a house in Leven.

'Negative impact'

Lord Armstrong told Devery: "Your crimes were opportunistic and in each case were directed against the women concerned in circumstances where they were vulnerable."

The judge said a victim impact statement from the woman who was raped clearly set out "the very negative impact which your actions had on her life".

The rape victim, now aged 36, rejected a claim that she and Devery had got into a bed at the house in Leven and both fell asleep and nothing had happened.

She said: "He came out the door after me and asked if everything was going to be OK between us."

The victim of the earlier indecent assault said she had been staying over at the house in Methil with her then boyfriend and Devery had been in the same room after he had been drinking and smoking cannabis.

She said she had had about three drinks but did not take drugs. She told the court that she had only started abusing drugs after Devery's assault on her.

The woman, now aged 32, said that she woke up to find Devery on top of her.

She said she went to the bathroom and was crying but returned to try and waken her boyfriend. She said Devery was still sitting in a chair "as if nothing had happened".

She said that when she finally roused her boyfriend from sleep Devery ran out the door "because he knew what he had done".

Advocate depute Richard Goddard earlier told the court that Devery had learning difficulties following a brain injury and was registered disabled.

The court heard Devery has previous convictions for possessing cannabis and ecstasy.

Defence counsel Dana Forbes said: "There is no indication there was any violence or threats of violence involved in these offences."

Devery was placed on the sex offenders' register indefinitely.