Highland rapist's victims praised for bravery after he was jailed for 15 years
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A RAPIST'S victims have been commended for their bravery in helping bring him to justice – after he was jailed for 15 years.
Kim Avis, from Inverness, was sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh today following his guilty conviction last month on a string of charges
The 14 charges included raping three people, while a fourth was sexually assaulted when she was 12.
Avis (57) had previously fled to the USA to escape justice, and even faked his own death in a failed bid to keep police from closing in, before being extradited back to Scotland to answer for his crimes.
Commenting on today's sentencing, the Procurator Fiscal for High Court Sexual Offences, Fraser Gibson, said: “This has been a difficult and complex investigation for all those involved. I would like to commend the victims for their bravery in coming forward.
“Kim Avis went to great lengths to evade justice for his crimes. Thanks to the efforts of police and prosecutors, working together with US law enforcement, he has been brought to justice and sentenced today.
“As this case shows, we prosecute sexual crime effectively and fairly. I would urge anyone who has been the victim of such offending to report it to police and seek support.”
