Man jailed over child rape and abduction attempt

An "evil and depraved" sex offender who tried to murder a woman so he could abduct and rape her granddaughters was told today that he will probably never be released from jail.

Ryan Yates, 30, was given a lifelong restriction order at the High Court in Glasgow this morning.

Yates attacked the 60-year-old woman with a knife in an Aberdeen park but she fought back to try to protect her granddaughters, who were aged two and eight.

He must serve 10 years of his sentence before he can be considered for parole but Lord Pentland told him he will probably never be released because of the severity of his crimes.

Sentencing Yates, he said: "There is clearly no doubt that you stand convicted of conduct of great evil and depravity.

"I am left in no doubt that whilst you are at liberty you present an exceptionally high level of danger to the public, particularly women and children."

Yates carried out the attack five days after he was released from jail after serving a seven year extended sentence for a sexual offence.

Two days before the incident authorities secured a court order banning him from accosting females in public.

Police officers visited him to discuss the terms of that order on the morning of the attack.

Lord Pentland said: "It's clear that neither the sentence you had just completed or the efforts by the police and other authorities to monitor and control your conduct had any effect on deterring you from engaging in serious further criminality.

"If all that is not disturbing enough, you have a deplorable criminal record, involving repeated serious sexual and violent offending.

"The risk assessment report, which I previously ordered, concludes that you are incapable of controlling your urge to commit sexual offences."

At an earlier court hearing, Yates admitted attempting to murder the woman with intent to abduct and rape the children in Westfield Park, Bridge of Don, Aberdeen, on October 14 last year.

He also admitted breaching the terms of a sexual offences prevention order which was granted on October 12 2009.

The 30-year-old was sentenced to five years for that offence, which will run concurrently with the rest of his sentence.

He will continue to be on the sexual offenders register indefinitely.

Lord Pentland said he considered his eventual release would be "highly unlikely".