Man jailed for sexual assaults on women in Orkney

An offshore worker who sexually assaulted two women in Orkney and put their lives in danger has been jailed for four years.

Joe Drever, 25, was found guilty of physically and sexually assaulting the women in 2023, following a trial earlier this year.

Judge Lord Harrower, sentencing at the High Court in Edinburgh, said the crimes had psychological consequences for both women.

He said there was no alternative to a significant prison sentence.

A jury heard how Drever assaulted his first victim at an address in Kirkwall.

During consensual sex, Drever asked his victim whether he could use a dressing gown tie and put it around her neck.

The court heard how the woman consented and told him not to make it tight.

But Drever, of Deerness, Orkney, tightened the cord so tight that she could not breathe properly and she passed out after sustaining injuries which suggested that a number of blood vessels had burst.

The jury also heard evidence of how in another incident he met a woman at a bar and went back to her home.

The court heard how he started to choke her and pinned her down on a bed before attempting to kiss her. The woman attempted to fight him off but she passed out.

Defence advocate Frances Connor said Drever was experiencing "shame" over what happened.

The first offender was also placed on the sex offenders register for life.