A sex offender has been handed a sentence of just three years in prison after he was found guilty of raping a 12-year-old girl in a park.
Myles Harris was 18 when he assaulted the child at Gala Policies park in the Scottish Borders town of Galashiels last year, the High Court in Edinburgh was told.
A victim statement read in court heard that she continues to suffer "serious" and "ongoing" effects from her experience on a "daily" basis.
Judge Lord Scott said Harris could have expected to receive a longer sentence had he not issued a guilty plea - and may have served up to a year-and-a-half longer in jail.
The court heard that Harris, who has since turned 19, had "no memory" of the offence as he was heavily intoxicated at the time.
Defence counsel Lili Prais explained Harris had started misusing substances aged 12, a problem which escalated as he grew older.
She said he then fell in with a bad crowd and went on to make some "extremely poor" life choices before committing the rape on January 16 last year.
She told the court: "He is devastated by the actions of that night. He accepts full responsibility.
"He has no memory of the incident. He had consumed substances.
"He no longer misuses drugs or alcohol. He is no longer associating with negative peer groups."
Ms Prais said Harris has moved to Canterbury, Kent, to stay with his grandparents and is willing to participate in any programme the court feels could help his rehabilitation.
"There is no better example of capacity to show change," she said.
Judge Scott said a custodial sentence was justified considering the seriousness of the offence.
"You raped a child when you were 18 and she was only 12," he said. "You knew her age."
He also told Harris that being under the influence of drink or drugs at the time of the offence made no difference to his deliberations.
Harris, who admitted the offence and appeared in the court by video-link from custody, was told his three-year sentence would be backdated to the day he was taken into custody last month.
He was also placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.
