A high risk rapist who carried out a sex attack on a vulnerable woman found dead hours later has been jailed.
Lars Pederson preyed on Alison McAllister after coming across her at The Forth and Clyde Canal in Maryhill. The 38-year-old attacked the distressed mum as she sat alone struggling to come to terms with the death of her childhood sweetheart.
A judge told him at the High Court in Edinburgh on Monday that the circumstances of the offence were "extremely concerning". Lord Doherty imposed an Order for Lifelong Restriction on Pederson following the attack.
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He said he is in no doubt there was a likelihood that if Pederson was at liberty he would pose a serious risk of harm to members of the public, particularly women. He ordered the predator to serve a minimum of three years and two months before he can seek release, he has already served longer than that on remand.
But parole authorities will consider the issue of public safety before there is any possible future release for the sex attacker under the indeterminate sentence. Allison had lived with her mother before her death in Summerston.
She had been in a relationship with her "childhood sweetheart", but he died suddenly in January 2009. According to relatives, Allison "changed overnight" as she struggled to cope with what happened.
This got worse around the anniversary of the death and on her late partner's birthday on March 18. On the evening of the rape, Allison ended up at the Forth and Clyde Canal having told her daughter she was going to the supermarket.
It was there she was confronted by Pedersen, who left her at the canal path to go to a friend's house after attacking her in March 2018. Home care worker Alison's worried family reported her missing and later returned to the scene and found the body.
He admitted assaulting and raping her while she was intoxicated and incapable of giving or withholding consent during an earlier appeared at the High Court in Glasgow. He did not face a charge over her death.
Prosecutor Owen Mullan said that when Pedersen initially came across his victim he thought she was upset and visibly crying. He claimed that he asked her if she was happy to have sex.
A detective asked him during an interview: "What did she say?". He replied: "She said she was not happy. She started complaining and things like that."
He claimed that when he later returned to the canal path he had found Ms McAllister dead. He told police he had discovered the body but failed to mention having been with her earlier.
Defence counsel Brian McConnachie QC said that a full risk assessment report prepared by an expert had found that Pedersen was a high risk. He said that professionals involved in the case had faced difficulties about reaching a concluded view as to the mental state of Pedersen.
He said: "In light of the report and the circumstances of this case there is no issue taken to the imposition of an Order for Lifelong Restriction."
Pedersen was placed on the sex offenders' register for the remainder of his life.
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