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Glasgow, July 25, 2025 – A judge at the High Court in Glasgow has sentenced Gary Morris to 12 years in prison for a series of rapes and sexual assaults committed against two young women when they were teenagers.
Morris, convicted of multiple charges, was also placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely and banned from contacting his victims under non-harassment orders.
Judge Pattison, delivering the sentence, described Morris’s actions as a “course of sexual abuse” marked by grooming, persistent rape, and assault. The court heard how Morris repeatedly abused one victim, starting when she was just 13 years old and continuing into her late teens. The abuse included vaginal and anal rapes, often orchestrated during camping trips where Morris isolated her. He also indecently assaulted a second victim, aged 17, during an overnight stay at his home, touching her inappropriately while she slept.
The judge highlighted the profound impact on the victims, now young women, who showed “bravery and dignity” in testifying. The first victim spoke of enduring “pain and shame,” nightmares, panic, and cycles of self-harm, yet has channeled her trauma into supporting others who have suffered similar abuse. The second victim described 16 years of anxiety, strained relationships, and tainted memories, including the loss of her friendship with the first victim.
“You maintain your innocence, as is your right, but the jury concluded that this was your fault,” Judge Pattison told Morris. “Your offending has had devastating lifelong consequences for these brave women. None of this was their fault.”
The court assessed Morris’s culpability as high, with significant and lifelong harm caused to his victims. Aggravating factors included Demonstrates the prolonged nature of the abuse, the young age of one victim, and a significant breach of trust. While a risk assessment deemed Morris a low risk for reoffending, the severity of his crimes warranted a substantial custodial sentence.
Judge Pattison imposed a single 12-year sentence for all charges, backdated to June 24, 2025, when Morris was remanded. He noted that individual sentences for the charges—ranging from 2 to 7 years—would have been disproportionate, hence the combined term. Morris was also barred from contacting his victims indefinitely and notified under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, requiring lifelong compliance with registration obligations.
The case underscores the judiciary’s role in delivering impartial justice based on evidence and law, as emphasized by the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service.