Appeal judges warned that brutal rapists must expect to be severely punished as they explained their reasons for rejecting a notorious sex attacker�s challenge against his sentence yesterday.

Appeal judges warned that brutal rapists must expect to be severely punished as they explained their reasons for rejecting a notorious sex attacker's challenge against his sentence yesterday.

Rapist Robert Greens, 30, lost a bid to have his jail term cut last month, but judges have now given a full explanation for their decision.

Greens faced a 12-year sentence for his attack on a Dutch student near Rosslyn Chapel, Midlothian, but was given 10 years' imprisonment following his guilty plea in the case. He challenged the sentence imposed on him claiming that it was excessive.

Lord Johnston, who heard the appeal with Lord Macfadyen, said it was "no more than an acceptable sentence".

In his written decision, he added: "A higher one could easily have been contemplated.

"This is, in our opinion, one of the worst cases of rape this court has had the misfortune to encounter for some time," said Lord Johnston.

Lord Johnston said it was important to understand the circumstances in which rape could occur varied enormously.

It ranged from "what could be described as an amorous sexual encounter that has got out of control at one end of the scale to, at the other, an appalling attack on a woman by a complete stranger, unprovoked and without justification".

He added: "When it comes to the latter type of cases, of which this is one, it has to be recognised in the public domain that the courts will not tolerate this type of aggressive sexual conduct, to put it at its least, when imposing sentences.

"The victim was on her own and in a relatively remote area and was attacked without notice by a complete stranger in a most brutal and aggressive way, quite apart from the sexual content. More importantly, the traumatic effect upon her has been apparently enormous and continues."

He said they were shown photos of the victim's facial injuries, which were "frankly horrific".

Greens, formerly of Eskview Road, Mayfield, in Midlothian, raped his victim after drinking and smoking cannabis on the B7003 road through Roslin Glen.

He threw the 19-year-old down an embankment, dragged her along the ground, threatened her with a knife, asked her if she was virgin and repeatedly beat her in the face to the danger of her life.

The teenage victim had gone to visit Rosslyn Chapel but arrived too late and had set out to walk to a friend's house when the attack occurred.

The judges at the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh heard details of the psychological impact of the attack on her.

Before it, she was "a bright and independent girl" who had come to Britain for a year during which time she indulged her passion for hill-walking. Her personality changed after the attack and she lost confidence in herself. She was afraid to go out alone and even now does not feel able to go out by herself at night or to hillwalk solo.

Minor mishaps in daily life can leave her inconsolable for hours or even days. She has begun to consult a psychiatrist but still regularly breaks down in tears, the appeal judges heard.