In June 2017, the Offender Database reported that Shane Ramsay, then 21, a former stock car racer, was sentenced to seven years in prison at the High Court in Edinburgh. Ramsay was convicted of a “catalogue of violence” and sexual depravity against three separate women in Midlothian, including the repeated rape of two victims.
The court heard that Ramsay’s history of violence began when he was just 15, when he forced his way into a bathroom and headbutted a woman. His offending escalated to the repeated rape of two women at an address in Gorebridge between 2014 and 2016. The prosecution detailed extreme levels of physical brutality; one victim was grabbed by the hair and had her head smashed against a wall, while Ramsay held a knife to her throat and beat her with a fishing rod. In a particularly harrowing instance, he kicked this victim while she was holding a baby boy. A third victim was bitten on the head and body, punched, and headbutted.
Despite a jury finding him guilty of two counts of rape and three counts of assault, Ramsay maintained his innocence, telling social workers that the allegations were “all lies.” However, the court noted that while at Polmont Young Offenders Institution, he had begun attending anger management classes. Lord Boyd of Duncansby acknowledged that Ramsay had shown some limited insight into his aggressive behaviour but emphasised the gravity of the “sustained and violent” nature of his attacks.
Shane Ramsay from Gorebridge, Midlothian, Scotland, was sentenced to seven years in prison. To ensure public safety upon his release, the judge also imposed an extended supervision period of two years, meaning he will be monitored by the authorities for nearly a decade. This measure was taken due to Ramsay’s demonstrated volatility and the risk he poses to women.
As a result of his convictions for rape, Shane Ramsay has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely. He is managed under the highest level of Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) in the Midlothian area. This framework ensures that Police Scotland and social work services maintain permanent, intensive surveillance of his residency and behaviour to prevent further violent or sexual escalation.
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