Teenager who dry heaved when found guilty of raping schoolgirls is jailed

22 November 2023 , 13:15

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Liam Hughes outside the High Court in Stirlingshire

A teenage boy who dry heaved in the dock after being found guilty of rape has been jailed for over six years.

Liam Hughes, 18, raped three girls in Grangemouth, Falkirk and Stirlingshire during his campaign of abuse between 2020 and 2022. He was convicted by a jury at the High Court in Stirling in October, where it was heard he told one of his victims: "It's meant to hurt".

Aged fifteen and sixteen during the time of his attacks, the predator targeted two 15-year-olds and a 14-year-old.

The trial heard how Hughes, from Grangemouth, "forced himself" on his youngest victim at a park in October 2020, then raped one of the other girls in woodland in May 2021. The second attack, the court heard, was initially consensual before the girl told Hughes to stop as there was a rock underneath her, to which he replied "it's meant to hurt".

One month later the same victim woke up at a party to find her underwear had been pulled down and Hughes had raped her while she slept.

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Yesterday, Hughes was jailed at the High Court in Glasgow for six years and six months.

Detective Inspector Forbes Wilson, Forth Valley Public Protection Unit, said: “I would like to acknowledge how difficult it is for victims of serious sexual assault to stand up to their attacker and face them in court. Hughes is a sexual predator who is now behind bars, and he can no longer force himself on other young girls. If anyone is a victim of sexual assault or abuse, please report it to us in the knowledge we will do everything in our power to arrest the perpetrator.”

Ruth Suter