In 2019, the Offender Database recorded that William McArthur, then 36, was handed a life sentence for the “incomprehensible evil” of sexually assaulting and attempting to murder a four-year-old girl. On appearing at the High Court in Edinburgh for sentencing, it was reported that McArthur’s crimes were part of a horrific catalogue of violence and sexual abuse against women and children committed between 2014 and 2018. The court reported that while his young victim lay in a critical condition in hospital, McArthur was busy encouraging another woman to send him topless photographs.
The investigation established that McArthur’s predatory behaviour spanned multiple locations, including Grangemouth, Falkirk, and Dumfriesshire. Police Scotland reported that he attacked a six-year-old girl in a caravan in Dumfriesshire in 2014 and raped a 14-year-old girl in Grangemouth in 2017 after she became incapacitated through drink. The prosecution reported that McArthur was found guilty of nine crimes in total, including five sexual offences and the attempted murder of the four-year-old child.
Judicial Findings and Investigative Detail
The court reported that McArthur demonstrated he was a “serious danger to any women and children” with whom he came into contact. The High Court in Edinburgh heard how the former West Lothian college student had a history of violence, having previously been jailed for 27 months for assaulting three different women. The prosecution reported that despite his defence counsel, Donald Findlay QC, arguing for a determinate sentence, the judge concluded that McArthur’s past and present actions proved he lacked any inherent restraint.
Judge Lord Uist described the assaults on the four-year-old as “unspeakable” and noted that McArthur had shown a complete lack of remorse or humanity. For his actions in Grangemouth, Stirlingshire, and elsewhere, McArthur was made subject to an Order for Lifelong Restriction (OLR). The judge noted that this indeterminate sentence was necessary because the risk he posed to the public was so profound that he could not be managed under standard supervision.
Sentence and Statutory Requirements
For his crimes in Scotland, William McArthur was handed:
- Indeterminate Sentence: An Order for Lifelong Restriction (OLR).
- Minimum Term: Seven years in prison before parole eligibility (Punishment Part).
- Sex Offenders Register: Notification requirements were activated for life.
- Judicial Oversight: Sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh following a trial.
- Criminal Record: Convicted of attempted murder, rape, serious sexual assault, and stalking.
- Origin: West Lothian (Offences in Grangemouth, Dumfriesshire, and Falkirk).
Monitoring and Public Protection
McArthur is managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) at the highest possible level of oversight by Police Scotland, the Scottish Prison Service, and the Risk Management Authority. Due to the “unspeakable” violence inflicted on a four-year-old in Grangemouth, Stirlingshire, his management is subject to permanent, intensive scrutiny.
As a member of the Sex Offenders Register, McArthur must comply with notification requirements for the remainder of his life. Authorities state that his history of raping a teenager, assaulting multiple women, and attempting to kill a toddler necessitates that he remains under a life licence if he is ever released. Any further sexual misconduct or breach of his strict OLR conditions in Grangemouth, Edinburgh, or elsewhere will result in immediate recall to prison for an indefinite period.
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