Christopher Hyde sentenced for sexual offences

A man has been sentenced for offences including rape, assault, stalking offences and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Christopher Hyde (39) was sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh on Thursday 19 August, to four years and 11 months and given an Order for Lifelong Restriction (OLR), which means that if he released, he will be subject to conditions and monitoring for the rest of his life.

An investigation was launched in October 2018 following a report of serious sexual offences having been committed in Aberdeen.

Detective Inspector Kerry McCombie of the Public Protection Unit said: “During our initial enquiries further offences were identified, along with a number of other victims.

“The enquiry found Hyde had committed offences against women in both the North East and Highlands between 2000 and 2018.

“It is clear that Christopher Hyde is a manipulative, controlling individual with a real predilection for violence. He preyed on his victims subjecting them to terrifying courses of conduct. He is a danger to women and will now justly face the consequences of his appalling acts of abuse.

“I would like to take this opportunity to praise the victims for their courage and bravery in reporting the circumstances to police. I understand this was not easy for them. I hope his sentencing provides them with some form of closure and goes some way to giving other victims of abuse the courage to speak out.

“Domestic abuse and all forms of violence against women will not be tolerated, it has no place in our society and remains a priority for Police Scotland. If you have been the victim of abuse, we want you to know that you are not alone. We encourage you to contact police or seek support and advice from one of our partner agencies, such as Rape Crisis or Women’s Aid. Together, we can support you through those next steps.”