FORMER POLICE OFFICER JAILED FOR SEX OFFENCES
A former officer of Police Scotland has received a seven-year prison sentence after being convicted of extensive abusive behaviour towards a woman, which included non-consensual sexual acts.Christopher Wylie, aged 47, also attempted to arrange for another man to have sex with the victim in exchange for drugs.
During the course of 20 months, Wylie physically assaulted the woman by throttling her and lunging at her while armed with a knife.
The High Court in Edinburgh described his conduct as "appalling, sustained and humiliating." Judge Michael O'Grady KC told Wylie that his actions warranted a lengthy prison term.
Earlier proceedings established that Wylie engaged in a course of abusive conduct that endangered the woman’s life from April 2019 to December 2021, in a Highland village and other locations.
His harassment included seizing her mobile phone to read her messages, repeated calls and messages, threats of self-harm accompanied by photos of self-inflicted injuries, and removal of her keys and phone to control her movements.
The abuse escalated when Wylie lunged at the woman, struggled with her while holding a knife, resulting in her falling to the ground.
He also applied pressure to her neck and mouth, restricting her breathing.
Wylie, who joined the police force in 2009, had sex with the woman without her consent and tried to facilitate a sexual encounter between her and another man in exchange for drugs.
Although denying these charges at an earlier trial in Inverness, the jury found him guilty.
Police Scotland Detective Constable Emma Ellis expressed hope that the sentence would help bring closure for the victim, emphasizing that sexual abuse has no place in community life.
She encouraged anyone experiencing or knowing about abuse to seek help.
Defence counsel Brian McConnachie KC, acknowledged that Wylie stood by his account throughout the process, despite the jury's rejection.
He noted that Wylie, considered a first-time offender, was intoxicated at the time of the offenses.
The defence also mentioned that Wylie had a low risk of reoffending and that his time in custody, transferred from Inverness to Dumfries prison, would be particularly difficult given his police background.
Wylie accepted the sentence, which includes being placed on the sex offenders register.
