MAN WHO RAPED HEAVILY PREGNANT WOMAN IN HOSPITAL BED JAILED
A former company director received a 13-year prison sentence after being convicted of raping a pregnant woman in a hospital bed during multiple episodes of violence and sexual abuse in the Highlands.John Dodd, 41, was found guilty of 14 serious offences involving violence and sexual assault against two women, committed across Tain, Alness, Inverness, and Clashmore near Dornoch, over a period from 2004 to 2022.
A judge at the High Court in Edinburgh described the crimes, which involved violent and controlling behaviour, including the assault of a woman while she was heavily pregnant and confined to a hospital bed.
Dodd denied responsibility but failed to show remorse, instead engaging in victim-blaming.
He was sentenced to serve 13 years in prison and will be subject to three years of supervised release on licence, with the possibility of immediate recall if he breaches conditions.
Previously, he faced a total of 20 charges, which he denied, during an earlier trial.
His first known attack was at a cottage in Sutherland, after which he continued to assault and rape the same victim at her home in Alness during her sleep from March 2006 to May 2007.
Additionally, he raped the woman at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness in May 2006.
From 2021 to 2023, Dodd continued his abusive conduct towards another woman at multiple Highland residences, raping and sexually assaulting her multiple times when she was both asleep and awake.
Dodd, who identified himself as a forestry company director, denied making any remarks to the first victim about her dress or appearance, claiming all acts were consensual.
The victim reported episodes of waking to sexual penetration, which Dodd denied.
His solicitor acknowledged the seriousness of the charges and suggested that a custodial sentence was inevitable, despite his client’s claims of innocence.
Dodd was remanded and viewed the court proceedings via a video link from prison.
He will also remain on the sex offenders’ register permanently, and orders were issued to prevent any harassment or contact with the victims.
