A man has been sentenced to more than ten years in prison for the rape of a teenager who tragically lost her life.
She died five months after the rape incident and she was killed by her own brother.
In June 2021, Jamie Starrs, aged 20, assaulted 16-year-old Amber Gibson while she was asleep or unconscious at a residence in Bothwell, South Lanarkshire.
In November 2021, she was sexually assaulted and murdered by her brother, Connor Gibson.
Jamie Starrs (Sentenced for raping the victim)
Starrs was found guilty of raping Amber after a trial at the High Court in Lanark last month. He was also convicted of raping another teenage girl in Bothwell in May 2021.
Today, Starrs was handed an extended sentence of 10-and-a-half years in custody, followed by an additional two years of supervision upon release.
His time in custody was reduced by six months to account for the time he had already spent on remand.
Additionally, Starrs was found guilty of breaching bail conditions and attempting to pervert the course of justice.
He has been placed on the sex offenders' register indefinitely.
Amber Gibson (The Victim)
During the sentencing, Judge Thomas Welsh KC stated, "You have committed serious crimes against two innocent teenage girls, and you have been assessed as being at a very high risk of sexual violence upon release. While I consider your age and challenging upbringing, the severity of the crimes cannot be overlooked, and I will impose an extended sentence."
In a plea for mitigation, Michael Meehan KC, representing Starrs, emphasized that being under 25 means the sentence must account for a lower level of maturity.
A report indicated that Starrs exhibits "cognitive and emotional immaturity." The lawyer urged the judge to consider his client's difficult childhood experiences when determining the sentence.
Starrs had a traumatic upbringing, being taken from parental care at the age of three and struggling with addiction issues from the age of nine.
Starrs's sentencing comes two weeks after Amber's brother, 20-year-old Connor Gibson, was convicted of assaulting his sister.
Connor Gibson, (The victims brother)
He attacked her in woodland in South Lanarkshire, took off her clothes, and sexually assaulted her with the intent to rape her before ultimately beating and strangling her.
Amber was reported missing on November 26, 2021, and her body was discovered two days later.
Another individual, Stephen Corrigan, aged 45, was found guilty of attempting to obstruct justice and breach of the peace for inappropriately touching and concealing Amber's body instead of contacting emergency services after discovering it.
Both Gibson and Corrigan are set to be sentenced next month.
In another news, six officers have pleaded guilty to assaulting and torturing two black men during an unofficial assignment. See full details here.
Comments
Post a Comment