John Millar, a 35-year-old dangerous sex offender from Dysart, Fife, has admitted attempting to rape a 16-year-old girl in broad daylight as she walked through woodland locally known as The Den in Kirkcaldy on 11 September 2023.
The incident triggered a major police investigation and resulted in a High Court trial held in Glasgow.
The teenager was on her way to buy lunch when Millar rode his bike behind her. Prosecutor Margaret Barron told the court that the girl moved aside to allow him to pass, but Millar then got off his bike, grabbed her from behind, and threw her to the ground.
He proceeded to grope the victim, who was left terrified. She fought back by kicking and shouting, which startled Millar and caused him to flee the scene on his bike.
After the attack, the girl phoned her father and returned to school. School staff noticed she appeared pale and shaken, with visible scratches and torn tights.
The ordeal was described by Judge John McCormick as “the stuff of nightmares” for any 16-year-old schoolgirl.
Police released CCTV footage showing a man wearing a distinctive two-tone jacket pushing a bicycle. Millar was identified and traced two days later. Officers recovered the bike and jacket from his mother’s home.
Initially, Millar claimed the incident was an attempted robbery, but he later admitted that he targeted the girl because he thought she would be “easy” and confessed that he intended to rape her.
Millar, who had a previous conviction from 2016 for sending explicit messages to a young girl, pleaded guilty to attempted rape.
Judge McCormick deferred sentencing pending background reports but confirmed that Millar would be placed on the sex offenders register. The judge warned that there would be no alternative to a substantial custodial sentence.
Originally published by UKNIP.
