A 21-year-old man who carved his name into a woman’s thigh with a blade and carried out physical and sexual attacks on a teenage girl has received an extended eight-year sentence at the High Court in Edinburgh.
Charlie Swain, of Carrick Knowe, Edinburgh, Midlothian, appeared for sentence after being found guilty by a jury following a domestic abuse and sexual offences investigation by Police Scotland.
The court heard that Swain engaged in a prolonged course of abusive behaviour and extreme coercive control against a woman. During the relationship, Swain isolated her from friends and family, threatened her, and became increasingly aggressive while consuming alcohol and controlled drugs. Jurors were told that Swain used a knife to repeatedly carve his full name into her thigh so people would view her as his possession, inflicting deep cuts that resulted in permanent scars. During a separate incident, Swain whipped her with a belt while laughing at her pleas to stop, and later held a large knife to her throat, placing her in fear for her life before she managed to contact emergency services.
The indictment further detailed Swain’s sustained abuse of a teenage girl between 2020 and 2022. That offending encompassed repeated physical beatings involving punches and kicks, persistent intimidation, and sexual assault during which Swain continued non-consensual sexual activity after the victim explicitly withdrew consent.
Under the provisions of the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992 and Section 49 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933, victims of sexual offences and child complainants connected to legal proceedings are granted automatic, lifelong statutory anonymity. Publishing, broadcasting, or disseminating any details, names, addresses, or images capable of leading to the public identification of the victims is strictly prohibited under UK law.
Swain denied all charges but was convicted by a jury of:
Three offences encompassing domestic abuse, weapon assaults, and the physical and sexual abuse of a child
Passing sentence, Lord Summers ruled that Swain posed a substantial risk of harm and imposed an extended sentence of eight years:
Six years’ immediate custodial imprisonment
A two-year extended licence period under probation supervision upon release
Indefinite non-harassment orders barring any communication or contact with the victims
Indefinite notification requirements on the Sex Offenders Register under the Sexual Offences Act 2003
Following the court proceedings, Detective Sergeant Euan Stobie stated that Swain was a dangerous individual whose actions had caused profound, lasting damage to both survivors.
Image – Anonymous Artist Impression
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