Darren Donaldson: Ice hockey player jailed for raping teenage girl he picked up from sleepover
12 November 2024, 10:26 | Updated: 12 November 2024, 12:22
An ice hockey player who raped a teenage girl in his car after picking her up from a sleepover has been jailed.
Darren Donaldson, 19, preyed on the girl when she was heavily intoxicated and incapable of giving consent.
Donaldson, from Dyce in Aberdeen, was 17 at the time of the serious sexual assault in August 2022.
A court heard how he first met his victim, who was under the age of 16, through his friends and Dundee ice hockey teammates.
On the night of the attack, Donaldson attended at a house where the girl was staying but was refused entry.
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said due to her level of intoxication, the victim was put to bed by friends a short while later.
However, Donaldson later collected the girl from the property and drove to an address in Perth and Kinross where he raped her. He then drove the victim back to her friend's house.
COPFS said the girl woke up the following day and began having flashbacks before the matter was reported to Police Scotland.
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Donaldson denied any wrongdoing but was found guilty of rape in September following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh.
Katrina Parkes, Scotland's procurator fiscal for high court sexual offending, said: "Darren Donaldson took advantage of a young girl who was incapable of giving or withholding consent.
"He will now face the consequences of his actions following this prosecution and conviction."
Donaldson was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow on Monday, where he was jailed for four-and-a-half years.
He was also added to the sex offenders' register indefinitely and was banned from contacting his victim for 15 years.
Following the court case, Detective Constable Mark Guild said: "My thoughts are with the victim who has shown immense strength in coming forward and assisting our investigation.
"I hope the sentence imposed on Donaldson brings her some form of comfort."
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