Rapist who escaped prison van told he may never be released from jail

A rapist who escaped from a prison van has been told he may never be released from prison.

Aaron Strachan, 21, stalked, abducted and raped the 15-year-old in the York Place area of Edinburgh on May 25 last year.

On the same day he also stabbed a man in an “unprovoked” attack in the South Bridge area and attacked another man with a hammer in High Riggs on May 28.

Strachan had been due to be sentenced earlier this year but escaped while being led from the Court of Session to a prison van following a hearing in January.

A major police search was launched and he was recaptured in the city a few hours later.

The 21-year-old pleaded guilty to the rape and two assaults on December 4 2025, and on Monday pleaded guilty to attempting to defeat the ends of justice.

At the High Court in Edinburgh on Monday, Judge Michael O’Grady KC imposed an order for lifelong restriction on Strachan with a minimum period of five years in custody, telling him he may never be released.

Strachan first approached the 15-year-old girl as she waited at a bus stop in Edinburgh city centre in the early hours of May 25.

After feeling uneasy she walked away towards Princes Street, and Strachan was caught on CCTV following her, with his face covered by a balaclava.

He then ran towards the girl as she sat at a second bus stop, threatening to harm her while brandishing a knife.

After seizing her by the shoulders he forcibly led her to the basement on York Place, where he blocked the door with wooden pallets before raping her.

Judge O’Grady told Strachan his actions were “the stuff of nightmares for every woman and every young girl, and every parent who waits at home for their child to return home safely”.

“The word predatory is perhaps overused in these courts, but it is an inescapable adjective to describe this truly bestial crime,” he said.

“You left your lair and went out hunting for a vulnerable victim.

“Finding one, you stalked her, threatened her at knifepoint and took her to a dingy basement and raped her.”

Describing the other two attacks, he told Strachan they had been “unprovoked” and carried out on “virtual strangers”.

He said the attack on May 25 – the same day as the rape – had left his victim with two knife wounds to his right hand.

In the later attack, the judge told Strachan he had struck his victim on the head with a metal hammer, leaving him “semi-conscious” on the ground and suffering seizures.

The man was later found to have a suffered a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain, with the judge saying the consequences of the attack for the man had been “catastrophic”.

The judge also laid out Strachan’s “concerning” criminal record, telling him he had appeared in court on 18 previous occasions in relation to 38 separate charges, eight of which involved possession of weapons.

The judge told Strachan he was “entirely satisfied” he met the criteria for an order for lifelong restriction order – an indeterminate sentence that means an offender is not released until deemed to no longer pose a risk to the public.

The judge told him: “You are likely to remain in prison for many years, if indeed you are ever released.”

Strachan, who remained handcuffed to security officers throughout the hearing, showed no reaction as the sentence was handed down.

Earlier, Strachan’s lawyer Simon Collins told the court his client’s actions were “extremely serious offences”.

“I accept that, and Aaron Strachan accepts that,” Mr Collins told the court.

“The inevitable outcome of the offences of this seriousness is that he is facing an extremely lengthy period in custody.”

The court was also shown CCTV footage of the moment Strachan slipped his cuffs and ran off while being led from the Court of Session to a waiting prison van.

The footage shows Strachan, dressed in a red top, walking between two guards towards the van, before “yanking” his hand free and sprinting away in the direction of the Royal Mile.

Mr Collins told the court it had been “a moment of impulsiveness” on Strachan’s part, saying his client had noticed the handcuffs linking him to a security guard were “not tight enough to prevent him from removing his hand”.

Faye Cook, procurator fiscal for High Court sexual offences, said: “Aaron Strachan’s actions in abducting his victim before raping her were calculated, predatory and caused profound harm.

“Although this type of stranger offending is rare, this conviction reflects the gravity of his crimes and the commitment of prosecutors and police to bring him to justice.

Detective Inspector Gillian Wells, from Edinburgh’s Sex Offender Policing Unit, said: “This was a particularly harrowing attack which was carried out in the busy city centre area and had a profound effect on the young victim.

“I hope this sentence brings her some sense of closure.

“The other assaults also demonstrate what a violent individual Strachan is, with no consideration of the consequences of his actions. “