A woman who was dragged off the street at knife point and raped by a dangerous sex offender has slammed the UK justice system as a “soft touch”.

Vicky Maclean was 19 when John McDougall attacked her as she walked home from work in Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland in 2000. She has not publicly shared her ordeal until now, adding she has watched her rapist “make a mockery” of the justice system for the past two decades.

McDougall was released from prison just five years after raping Vicky and has since carried out a number of offences and breaches of a court order not to approach women. Ms Maclean, now 44, has waived her right to anonymity to call for tougher sentences for repeat offenders like McDougall after he was imprisoned again after being caught in the home of a vulnerable woman.

“This is one of Scotland’s most dangerous men, yet he is still being allowed to pose a threat to women,” she told Mirror affiliate, The Daily Record. “The punishments he’s being given are not having an impact. This happened to me over 20 years ago but it feels like we’re still in the exact same place. The courts show him time and time again there is no real consequence for his actions. It’s time for justice for victims to fit the crime.”

Vicky had been walking from her job at a bar after being dropped off nearby by a taxi when McDougall was grabbed on a well-lit route. She added: “I felt something sharp press against my back and a man’s voice said, ‘If you turn around, I’ll kill you.’ Initially I thought it must be a joke, but that notion quickly vanished when I was dragged to the back of a garage.”

Ms Maclean was then subjected to a horrific sexual attack with McDougall warning her he would find and kill her if she told anyone. She said: “I was convinced I would die. It’s still very vivid. After he left, I have no idea how long I stayed there, frozen and curled up. Eventually, I got dressed and ran from door to door, desperately banging, convinced he would return to kill me as I saw him further down the street.”

A B&B owner let Ms Maclean inside before alerting police. She then had a full forensic examination straight away. She said: “The next thing I remember is walking into the house in a white forensic suit and my sister asking what had happened. I told her, then went straight for a bath. I scrubbed myself until my skin was raw. My sister called our parents to inform them and I still remember hearing their screams.”

The police arrested McDougall within two days. Ms Maclean had been training to be a chef but her life instantly changed. She continued: “Everything came crashing down from that point. For a year, I couldn’t go out and attempted to take my own life three times. It changed the course of my life. I didn’t want to be a chef any more, working at night.”

McDougall, who already had 26 previous convictions at that point, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after she pleaded guilty. But just two days after being released in 2005, he tried to drag a vulnerable 16-year-old girl into bushes. He was jailed for one year following the offence.

McDougall, who is also on the sex offenders registry indefinitely, now has to tell police within 24 hours of getting any internet-enabled device and have it ready for inspection. He is not allowed to delete his internet, text or phone history and must tell police about any relationship made “in person or on social media” within 48 hours.

Ms Maclean said she has written to several politicians, including the former first minister and justice secretary Humza Yousaf, about her case. She added: “Something needs to change and it needs to change now.” A spokesman for the Judicial Office for Scotland said: “When deciding a sentence, judges will always carefully consider the facts established in court and take into account the unique factors of each case.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements provide a robust statutory framework to assess and manage those convicted of serious offences to reduce the risk they pose to the public.”

If you are affected by the issues raised in this article, contact SARSAS on [email protected] or reach out for NHS advice on help after rape or sexual assault.

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