A POLICE SCOTLAND officer who raped two women and subjected a third to a campaign of domestic abuse was jailed for 10 years today.

Cameron Ross, 39, committed the offences on the Isle of Lewis and in Inverness between 2012 and until his crimes were reported in 2022, leading to his immediate suspension from duty.

By the time he was convicted on five counts in May, including two charges of rape and one of attempting to pervert the course of justice, he had resigned from the force.

Sentencing Ross to 10 years’ imprisonment and placing him on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely at Edinburgh’s High Court, Judge Alison Stirling said: “The reasons for this sentence include punishment, expressing society’s concern about and disapproval of your offending, protection of the public, and rehabilitation in a custodial setting.”

Police Scotland’s head of professional standards, Chief Superintendent Helen Harrison, commented: “Cameron Ross has been convicted for repeatedly abusing and sexually abusing women.

“We’ve worked closely with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service to achieve this outcome.

“I want to thank those who came forward and recognise how difficult that can be when the perpetrator is a police officer.”

Procurator fiscal for High Court sexual offences Faye Cook said: “Cameron Ross carried out deliberate and repeated acts of abuse against women over the course of a decade.

“He was in a position of trust. Instead of upholding the law, he chose to break it in a serious and persistent way. I would urge anyone affected by similar offending to come forward and report it.

“The Crown is committed to prosecuting those responsible for sexual and domestic abuse, regardless of who they are.”

Rape Crisis Scotland chief executive Alev Taylor said: “The survivor in this case has shown tremendous bravery by coming forward. 

“Choosing to report rape or domestic abuse is always a difficult decision, but it can be even more challenging in rural communities and when the perpetrator is a serving police officer.

“No-one is above the law, and we know that the police are not immune to having perpetrators within their ranks.”

Pointing out Mr Ross had remained on the Police Scotland payroll for three years after the crimes were reported, she added:
“The way that the police respond to complaints of sexual violence and domestic abuse plays a huge part in whether survivors and the wider public trust them — even more so when the complaint is against someone who works in the police themselves.”