'Incredible relief' as court refuses serial rapist's sentence appeal

A violent serial rapist who challenged his 16-year jail sentence for crimes against four women has had his appeal refused.

Christopher Malcolm, 37, raped, attacked and abused former partners - preventing one from attending her own father's funeral - at locations in Moray and Lothian.

A court heard he subjected the first woman to abuse when he was just 19 in 2008, and carried on "terrorising" others until his arrest in 2024.

One woman recently told BBC Scotland that Malcolm left her permanently injured and disfigured when he stopped her from seeking medical treatment after fracturing her wrist and breaking her foot.

Amy, not her real name, had been due to marry Malcolm, but police gathered enough evidence to arrest him four weeks before the ceremony.

Following a trial involving 56 witnesses, a jury found Malcolm unanimously guilty of 12 charges. He was given a 16-year jail sentence in July, but lodged an appeal a month later.

Amy said she and other survivors had felt highly anxious waiting on the appeal determination, but now felt "incredible relief".

She told the BBC: "We've been waiting for this and have gone through so much over the summer and over the last two years.

"We got to the end of the trial and it was like we got hit with another bombshell. But this makes us feel like people believe us and trust us."

Malcolm, originally from Cockenzie in East Lothian, denied the crimes during his trial.

A court heard he subjected his first victim to repeated sexual assaults and struck her head against a wall.

He subjected a second woman to physical abuse at a flat in Forres, punching, choking and pushing her.

Malcolm repeatedly raped another woman at locations in Danderhall and Haddington and subjected her to abusive and threatening behaviour.

He also repeatedly raped another woman and subjected her to physical assaults.

After Malcolm was sentenced, Amy gave a wide-ranging interview to the BBC, detailing how her former partner systematically introduced control into their relationship.

She described how he insisted she come off social media, and moved her further away from family and friends. He would also turn up at her place of work, insist she leave early, and threatened to cause a scene.

The violence he introduced into the relationship took several forms, progressing from an occasional outburst to every other weekend.

Amy described how, on one occasion, Malcolm was in "attack mode" for three days, ripped up their sofa with a Stanley knife, and threatened suicide.

Malcolm could be among the violent criminals who are automatically released early under recent Scottish government proposals - but for now, Amy says her faith in the justice system has been restored.

For at least a year her life "revolved" around trying to recover from their relationship, and she says managing the impact on her mental health will be a lifelong undertaking.

"I really struggled with sleeping afterwards, because a lot of things happened in the bedroom. I had to have sleeping tablets and counselling," she said.

"I struggled with weight loss, I lost who I was, I lost my home. I don't dress the same, I don't look the same, the personality I had before I met him is completely gone.

"I'm still hyper vigilant, I still look for him everywhere - I look for his car. I struggle with people being confrontational with me.

"It's never going to go away."

Issuing Malcolm's sentence, Judge Alison Stirling described the women who gave evidence against him as "courageous and articulate".

She said he described himself as being a "control freak" and that he "minimised" his violence.

Stirling highlighted that Malcolm had been assaulted when he was 15, during which his skull was fractured and he had a bleed on the brain. She said risk assessments showed he was "above average risk" of reoffending.

Malcolm will be supervised by the authorities for three years following his release from custody.

He was also placed on the sex offenders register for life.