HIGHLAND OFFENDER OWEN LONIE JAILED FOR SEVEN YEARS AFTER SERIES OF ABUSES

Owen Lonie, aged 25 and formerly residing in Strathpeffer, has been convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison for a series of serious crimes against women in the Highlands. The court heard that Lonie, who started offending at the age of 17, subjected two vulnerable young women to physical and emotional abuse between March 2018 and November 2022. His heinous actions included rape, assault, and abusive behaviour, with the crimes taking place at various addresses around Dingwall, Alness, and other villages in the area. During the sentencing in the High Court in Edinburgh, the judge described Lonie's conduct as "cruel and cowardly" and emphasized the gravity of his violations, calling them "crimes of violation and humiliation." Additionally, Lonie was found to have urinated on one of his victims' dogs and damaged her property. The judge also ordered that Lonie be banned from any contact with his victims for 20 years and placed him on the sex offenders register. Prosecutor advocate depute Ali Murray noted that both victims wished for extended non-harassment orders. Lonie denied multiple charges but was convicted of six offences—two rapes, two assaults, and two acts of abusive behaviour. His offending began when he was just 17 and continued until he was 23, spanning multiple locations across the Highlands.