RAPIST JAMES RITCHIE RETURNS TO JAIL AFTER ESCAPE DURING PROTEST
A serial rapist, James Ritchie, back in jail after escaping during a protest, was serving a life sentence for raping and robbing three Glasgow prostitutes.The court heard that Ritchie escaped while on a home visit from Edinburgh Prison to protest his innocence, claiming he had been wrongly convicted in 1988.
While on the run, Ritchie made a video with a television crew, asserting his innocence, but his hopes of showing it to a jury were dashed when the High Court in Glasgow ruled it was irrelevant.
He attempted to highlight his perceived wrongful conviction through a video, which was not admitted as evidence.
Ritchie was eventually caught after surrendering himself at St Leonards police station, Edinburgh, with his lawyer and journalists present.
He was convicted at the High Court in Airdrie in 1988 of raping and robbing three prostitutes and has already served nine years of his sentence.
His latest conviction came after a jury found him guilty of attempting to defeat the ends of justice by escaping his home.
His defence argued that he escaped to emphasize his belief in his innocence, which he had previously tried to have overturned through the Criminal Appeal Court in Edinburgh, conducting the case himself due to lack of legal aid.
Lord Philip sentenced Ritchie to an additional 12 months, criticizing his attempts to protest his innocence as misconceived.
