An Edinburgh rapist has been reported to have been found dead in his cell while serving out his sentence at Saughton Prison.
Stephen Charters, 57, was sentenced last year for a series of offences against multiple victims that spanned over three decades.
Found guilty of offences including sexual assault and rape, one incident saw Charters, a former worship leader, violently attack a teenage girl at a hotel in Edinburgh after she had had a row with her boyfriend.
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Handed an Order of Lifelong Restriction for his crimes last week, the Sun has reported that Charters was found dead in his cell at HMP Edinburgh at the weekend.
According to an insider at the prison, Charters had only arrived last week, with no official confirmation made as yet to his cause of death.
Speaking about the death, they said: “We didn’t know what was going on but everyone was in their cells after his body was found.
“We knew it was something serious but no one had a clue. Then we found out Charters was dead. He only came in last week.
“There are all sorts of stories doing the rounds but I am not really sure what has happened.”
Charters served a previous five-year jail term in 2016 for sex crimes against children.
Speaking in court last week, Lady Carmichael said at the High Court in Edinburgh: "You present a high risk of further sexual offending. You have a limited capacity for change."
She imposed an Order for Lifelong Restriction (OLR) on the rapist and ruled that he must serve a minimum term of five years.
The judge said: "It is important to understand that does not mean you will be released at the end of that period."
A Scottish Prison Service spokesperson declined to comment.
