No Rape Cash For Carruthers

Police rapist's pension bid fails

Adam Carruthers has failed in his bid to secure his full pension

A policeman convicted of rape has failed in his legal bid to try to secure his full police pension.

Adam Carruthers was jailed in 2001 for raping two women while serving as a policeman at Langholm in Dumfriesshire.

Dumfries and Galloway Council had withheld its part of his pension but he hoped to win it back.

However, following three days of legal debate earlier this year a sheriff has now dismissed Carruthers' application to overturn the council's decision.

The former policeman was released from prison last year and launched a court battle to get back the pension shortfall.

That move resulted in protests outside Dumfries Sheriff Court by the friends and family of his victims while the case was debated.

Written judgement

Lawyers for Carruthers argued that the pension was his property and he was entitled to it under European human rights legislation.

The council maintained that his actions had caused a "serious loss of confidence in the public service" and it was entitled to withhold the funds.

In a written judgement, Sheriff Kenneth Ross has ruled that the council was within its rights to block his pension.

A decision on expenses will be delivered by the court at a later date.

A DGC spokesman said it felt its stance had been "vindicated by the court".

"This is the first time in Scotland that the Police Pension Regulations have been used to forfeit a police officer's pension," he said.

"We hope that Carruthers' victims will see this judgement as a positive reaction to the suffering they were caused by his offences."