DARREN NAPIER JAILED IN HIGHLANDS AND FIFE FOR SEX OFFENCES IN APRIL 2023

In April 2023, Darren Napier, a 33-year-old convicted sex offender classified as high-risk, was sentenced to six and a half years in prison for the rapes of two women. One assault took place at a residence in Fort William during the period from November 2018 to February 2019, and the other occurred in Kennoway, Fife. During the court hearing at the High Court in Edinburgh, Lord Lake stated that Napier’s actions had likely inflicted long-lasting trauma on his victims.

Lord Lake emphasized Napier's extensive criminal history, which includes previous sexual offences. A background report presented to the court revealed that Napier did not accept responsibility for his crimes and posed a high risk of reoffending sexually. The judge commented, “Because of the gravity of the crimes and your previous record, a custodial sentence is the only appropriate disposal in your case.”

Napier was also ordered to remain under supervision for an additional four years. The court warned him that breaching his licence conditions could result in his return to prison. Although he initially denied the rape charges, Napier was found guilty following a trial in Inverness.

This case marked the culmination of a series of incidents involving Napier. In July 2017, he was fined £750 after threatening to go to the home of a police officer. The incident occurred just eleven days before he appeared in court for threatening behaviour. At that time, Napier, then aged 28 and residing in Angus Crescent, Fort William, shouted at a member of the offender management team while she was off duty with her children.

Previously, in January 2012, Napier received a nine-month jail sentence for having sex with a 15-year-old girl when he was 21. After a trial, he was also convicted of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner towards a police officer.

Details of the threat include an incident on April 22, when Napier, then living in Oban, approached Oban Police Station and expressed intent to go to a police officer’s home, making inappropriate comments about wanting to “sort it out himself.” Constable Beata Baldyga, who was on duty, explained that she was aware Napier was a monitored sex offender under a sexual offences prevention order, requiring him to notify police if he was not staying at a particular address. When Napier said he was going to Dunoon, Baldyga informed him that he was not allowed to go there that night.

A further incident on May 3 involved Napier shouting at Baldyga while she was walking her dog in Oban’s Station Square, with the court noting that her previous dealings with him made her feel intimidated and concerned. Napier, who pleaded not guilty, chose not to give evidence in his defence.

In May 2013, Napier again appeared in court, this time fined £340 for breaking bail conditions. He had been required to attend Oban Police Station daily between noon and 1 pm but arrived late on three occasions—October 12, December 1, and January 5—altering his supervision attempt. His supervising officer described him as manipulative and pushing boundaries. Despite the previous sexual offence conviction and a 10-year sexual offences prevention order on his release, Napier continued to violate court-imposed conditions, prompting further legal actions.