Jedburgh man raped woman in front of a sleeping child
- Published
The court heard the incident had had a lasting impact on Gates' victim
An antiques dealer who raped a woman in front of a sleeping child has been jailed for four years.
Robert Gates, 47, of Jedburgh, committed the offence at a property in the town on 1 January 2019.
He was convicted following a trial and was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow.
Judge Alistair Watson told Gates his conduct had had a lasting impact on his victim and he had shown no remorse or contrition for the offence.
Defence counsel John Scullion QC told the court that his client - who had lodged a special defence of consent before trial - continued to deny the crime.
'Matter of some gravity'
However, the judge said it was clear that his victim had not wanted to have sex with him.
"You subjected her to a forcible act and she resisted before succumbing to your will," he said.
"It was a dreadful course of conduct in front of a child who was asleep.
"I consider this is a matter of some gravity."
He said that, weighing up all the factors, a custodial sentence was required and also put Gates on the sex offenders register for an indefinite period.