'Cruel, depraved and inhumane' Mark Armstrong abducted and raped teen in 32-hour ordeal

A man who abducted and raped a 15-year-old girl at knifepoint in a "cruel, depraved and inhumane" 32-hour ordeal has been jailed. Rapist Mark Armstrong, 26, from Dunfermline, will have to serve four years before he can be considered for release.

Lady Wise, the judge at the hearing, told him he should have no expectation to be permitted for parole at that point. He will only be released when it is deemed he is no longer a risk to the public and will be subject to a lifelong restriction order.

The girl's ordeal began when she was abducted by Armstrong on the way home from netball training. He grabbed the girl and warned her that he had a flick knife, telling her not to scream. He then raped her in the grounds of a nearby derelict cottage.

The court heard how he then took her to his home in Dunfermline and continued to repeatedly rape her. According to the victim, the rapes happened "over and over" again and he even tormented her by saying that she could go home, but instead subjected her to renewed sexual assaults.

As the attacks continued, the girl's mother reported her missing to police and officers found her clothes and broken glasses inside the derelict cottage. A few hours later Armstrong ended his brutal assault and handed the girl's phone back to her, at which point she contacted her mother.

The court heard how her facial injuries left her unrecognisable to police and Lady Wise praised the schoolgirl, saying "her bravery and resilience was quite remarkable".

Detective Chief Inspector Michelle Johnson of Police Scotland said: "Mark Armstrong is a depraved individual who targeted his victims and ultimately put one through a terrifying ordeal. It is due the courage and the bravery of Armstrong's 15-year-old victim that he has been brought to justice.

"It is not an overstatement to say she cracked the case for officers, and as an organisation Police Scotland pays tribute to her maturity and resolve."

Armstrong also pleaded guilty to a string of assault and robbery offences against women in the Fife town just days before his attack on the girl. Defence counsel Michael Anderson told the court Armstrong had been smoking cannabis since he was eight-years-old and drinking Buckfast since the age of 10.

Anderson said: "He says that he deserves a long sentence. For what it is worth, and I recognise it may not be worth a lot, he articulates his regret at what has happened."