An individual who engaged in a pattern of violence for over three decades, which included throttling women, has been handed a lifelong restriction order. Bruce Buchanan, aged 61, committed multiple heinous acts, such as raping one woman three times, where he even resorted to choking her and forcing his hand into her mouth during an assault.
Buchanan also verbally and physically assaulted the victim in various locations in the Scottish Highlands. The court heard how he menaced the woman with a knife, sat on her, and pressed his thumbs into her eyes during these episodes of abuse.
Additionally, jurors were informed of an incident where he grabbed another woman by the nose, threatened her, and pushed her to the ground. In a separate assault on a third woman, Buchanan pinned her arms and strangled her, causing breathing difficulties.
The perpetrator, previously residing in Croy in the Highlands, denied any culpability but was found guilty of seven offenses after a trial. His crimes included four assaults, two rapes, and a charge of rape and assault causing severe injury and risk to life.
Buchanan’s criminal behavior commenced in June 1986 and persisted until June 2017. Judge Lord Fairley emphasized the disturbing nature of Buchanan’s inclination to choke or suffocate his victims during these violent episodes, instilling fear of death in one of them.
On Monday, at the High Court in Edinburgh, Buchanan received a lifelong restriction order with a minimum of five years in prison. This type of sentence is typically reserved for the most serious criminal cases in Scotland that do not involve murder. Should Buchanan ever be released, he will be subject to a lifelong risk management plan.
Read more from Sky News:
Why Iran war is set to push up UK food prices
Rapist who abducted girl at knifepoint facing OLR
Lord Fairley highlighted a risk assessment report, which detailed Buchanan’s emotional issues, low self-esteem, jealousy, paranoia, negative relationship attitudes, and a need for control. The assessor noted a lack of protective factors, unchanging offending drivers with age, rigid behavior patterns, limited insight, and a reluctance to acknowledge problematic behavior.
Besides the lifelong restriction order, Buchanan is prohibited from contacting the three women and has been registered as a sex offender for life.