Former soldier Robert Millar (34) jailed for rape and assault in Elgin
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
A FORMER soldier who raped a woman before smearing blood on her face in a second assault has been jailed for 50 months.
Robert Millar (34), from Elgin, first attacked his victim at an address in the town on June 1, 2020, when he seized her by the neck before subjecting her to a repeated rape ordeal.
Millar struck again on September 23 that year in a second attack on the victim at an apartment building in the town.
She was gripped by the neck again and thrown against a wall. Her arm was forced up her back before the former soldier smeared blood on her face.
On the same day Millar threatened to harm himself and cut himself with a knife. He damaged a mobile phone belonging to the victim and struck a door with the knife.
At Edinburgh High Court, Judge Norman Mcfadyen said the rape offence was "plainly the most serious" but others were also significant.
Millar, a prisoner in Inverness, was earlier convicted of rape, assault and two charges of threatening or abusive behaviour.
One of the latter offences was committed at the A&E department at Dr Gray's Hospital and during a journey to Elgin Police Station when he lunged from a bed and struggled with police constables and then struck his head against a police van cage door.
Millar would have faced a six-year sentence for the rape and assault but that has been reduced to take account of time he served as a remand prisoner. On his release he will be under supervision for a further three years.
Defence counsel Bill Adam said of Millar: "He has always been a worker. He joined the army when 17 and was there for nine and a half years serving his country. Since then he has been in a variety of occupations."
He said that Millar continued to maintain his denial of the rape charge.
The defence counsel said that at the time of the other offences Millar was drinking excessively.
He told the court: "He will co-operate with any programmes designed to address the risk of further offending."
Millar was told he will be on the sex offenders' register for an indeterminate period.
