Rapist who carried out a campaign of brutality on several women jailed for 10 years

Judge John Morris told him: "The jury convicted you of a number of crimes of serious violence and serious sexual violence where you took advantage of vulnerable women."

The judge said at the High Court in Edinburgh: "It is clear from the reports I have read that you are a real and present danger to the public, especially women."

Mr Morris QC pointed out that Gellately (27) had "a deplorable criminal record" for a man of his age. The court heard that Gellately, who appeared in the dock wearing an England rugby shirt, continued to maintain his innocence despite earlier being found guilty of four rape charges, an indecent assault and three assault offences.

Gellately attacked his first victim in 2006 and 2007 at houses in Dumfries, Ecclefechan and Annan, in Dumfriesshire and at Eastriggs.

During the ordeal of violence the woman had her head forced into a bath of water and her face was held under the surface.

She was pinned down, grabbed by the throat, repeatedly punched and bitten on the body.

She also had jewellery removed from her body with pliers and her hair cut off and Gellately brandished a screwdriver at her and threatened to kill her.

Gellately also blindfolded her and sexually assaulted her with an aerosol can, a mobile phone and a bottle.

He moved onto his next victim in 2009 and subjected her to a rape ordeal at a house in East Kilbride.

The woman was also subjected to assaults by Gellately in the Lanarkshire town, who kicked her on the head, pinned her down, seized her by the throat and cut her hair.

He also took a phone from her to stop her calling for help and made her take more than the recommended dose of a medication.

Gellately's third victim was raped at a house in Kilmarnock, in Ayrshire, and she was also physically attacked by him.

She was forced to the floor and had her head hit off it and was grabbed and gripped by the throat during assaults in 2011 and 2012.

A fourth woman was raped by Gellately at a roadside south of Sanquhar, in Dumfriesshire, in August 2013 during which he struggled with the victim.

Gellately subjected the same woman to a further ordeal of repeated rape at a house in Kilmarnock later that month when he again struggled with her, pulled down her lower clothing and forced her legs apart.

Defence counsel Susan Duff said it was clear from reports prepared on Gellately that he continued to deny the offences.

She told the court that the convicted sex attacker had been assessed as being a high risk of re-offending.

Mrs Duff said from the reports it emerged that "the root cause" stemmed from his traumatic childhood and the very difficult circumstances he grew up in.

She said: "He would like the opportunity to participate in psychotherapy which would help him to address the issues he has."

The defence counsel said that a psychiatrist had expressed the view that he showed signs of suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.

Mrs Duff said: "He appreciates the next period of his life will be spent in custody."

Gellately was placed on the sex offenders' register.

Detective Chief Inspector Samantha McCluskey, from the Police Scotland Domestic Abuse Task Force, said: "This man was found guilty of a number of charges including rape, assault and threatening behaviour. Gellately targeted vulnerable women, securing their trust before embarking on an escalating pattern of abusive behaviour throughout the relationships. He is a particularly violent individual who terrorised his partners over a number of years.

"I must thank these women for coming forward to report the catalogue of abuse that they have endured and the courage they've shown throughout the investigation. No one should ever feel they are in a position of fear and I would encourage anyone to report domestic abuse in any form as there is support and advice available from the police and partner agencies."