Former soldier Cameron Gardner jailed for string of sex assaults

Gardner was jailed for 11 years at the High Court in Edinburgh

An-ex soldier who served in Afghanistan has been jailed for multiple sex assaults on women and a child.

Cameron Gardner, 32, was given an 11-year term for 18 charges which included rape, sexual assault and the sexual assault of a child.

A court heard how he preyed on his victims, who cannot be named for legal reasons, in locations in Aberdeen and across the Banff and Buchan area.

He was convicted earlier this year after denying the charges against him.

Gardner committed the rapes, attempted rape and sexual assaults on a number of women between June 2012 and May 2021.

He appeared for sentencing before judge Lord Ericht at the High Court in Edinburgh who heard submissions from defence advocate Ian Duguid KC.

He said Gardner, of Rothienorman in Aberdeenshire, had experienced trauma from his time in the Army when two close friends had died after their tank was blown up in Afghanistan by an improvised explosive device.

'Glowing terms'

Passing sentence, Lord Ericht ordered Gardner to be supervised by the authorities for three years following his release from custody.

He said he had heard what Gardner had to deal with in Afghanistan and had seen a commendation from his commanding officer speaking of him in "glowing terms".

"However, these admirable qualities were nowhere to be seen in the way you treated the complainers back home in Scotland," he said.

"What happened in Afghanistan is no excuse for what happened to them back in Scotland."

Gardner was convicted of multiple rapes and sexual assaults earlier this year.

Mr Duguid said his client still maintained he was innocent of any wrongdoing but wanted to express his apologies.

Lord Ericht told Gardner there was no alternative to custody and placed him on the sex offenders register for life.