In 2018, the Offender Database recorded that 24-year-old serial rapist Matthew Ferguson was jailed for seven years for targeting three teenagers as they slept. Ferguson—of Wellgrove Street, Dundee—was sentenced at the High Court following a trial that detailed a five-year campaign of predatory attacks. It was reported that the investigation into Ferguson’s conduct covered multiple offences committed between 2011 and 2016 at various addresses in Dundee and Galashiels.
The investigation established that Ferguson’s victims were vulnerable and sleeping when he struck. The High Court heard that he sexually assaulted his youngest victim when she was 13 and later raped her after she turned 14. One victim reported that Ferguson entered the room where she was sleeping during an overnight stay in Galashiels and molested her, later raping her while she was unconscious or asleep. The prosecution reported her harrowing testimony, in which she stated it took her a minute to realise someone was lying on top of her.
Judicial Findings and Investigative Detail
The court reported a second incident in the spring of 2016 involving a woman staying with her boyfriend in Dundee. The High Court heard that Ferguson was visiting the couple and discussing a phone app before the victim fell asleep after midnight. The investigation established that the victim woke up to find Ferguson on top of her, only being stopped when her boyfriend shouted for him to get off her. The prosecution established that Ferguson’s behaviour was consistent across multiple victims, involving the deliberate targeting of those unable to consent due to sleep.
Following the guilty verdicts for three rapes and one indecent assault, Ferguson was handed a seven-year custodial sentence. For his actions in Dundee and Galashiels, he was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register indefinitely. The judge noted the profound impact on the victims, one of whom was in tears when recounting the abuse to her father, and emphasized that Ferguson posed a significant and ongoing risk to young women.
Status and Statutory Requirements
For the records reported in Dundee and the Scottish Borders, the status of Matthew Ferguson as of April 6, 2026, was as follows:
- Custodial Status: RELEASED (Served 7-year term; sentenced 2018; released on licence circa 2022-2023).
- Sex Offenders Register: Notification requirements are active for life (Indefinite).
- SHPO Status: Subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
- DBS Status: Placed on the PVG Barring List (Indefinite ban on working with children and protected adults).
- Legal Status: CONVICTED (Rape; Indecent assault; 4 counts total).
- Judicial Oversight: Sentenced at the High Court; investigated by Police Scotland.
- Criminal Record: Serial targeting of three teenagers; Offending spanning five years; Attacks carried out while victims were sleeping in Dundee and Galashiels.
- Origin: Wellgrove Street, Dundee, Scotland.
Monitoring and Public Protection
Ferguson is managed as a high-risk registered sex offender within the Dundee area following his release from prison. Due to the nature of his conduct—specifically the “stealthy” and serial nature of his attacks on sleeping victims—his management is a critical priority for the Police Scotland Public Protection Unit. Authorities state that his history of offending in private residential settings during social gatherings requires strict monitoring of his associations and any overnight stays at addresses other than his registered residence.
As a registered sex offender for life, the then 24-year-old’s details are permanently logged on the national police database. Authorities state that his indefinite notification requirements mean he must report any change in his circumstances to the police immediately. Any failure to notify police of his movements in Dundee, any unauthorized presence at parties or social gatherings involving young women, or any breach of his lifelong court orders will result in immediate arrest and recall to prison to ensure the ongoing safety of the public from his demonstrated pattern of serial sexual violence.
QUESTION – Given that the offender waited for his victims to fall asleep before attacking them, do you believe that “Premeditated Vulnerability Targeting” should be a mandatory sentencing factor that doubles the minimum custodial term in rape cases?
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