A notorious sex beast who tortured a woman with learning difficulties 20 years ago is back behind bars after falling for a suspected online sting.
James Mercer subjected the helpless victim to a depraved catalogue of rape and humiliation and was sentenced to ten years in 2002.
Mercer, 55, was jailed for 18 months at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday for violating the terms of an order designed to protect the public from him.
The vile predator was caught contacting a woman over WhatsApp, breaking a condition that he alert the authorities about any new relationship.
The court heard the woman - known as ‘Kendra’ - was likely scamming Mercer, pretending to want a relationship while asking him to send her cash.
Mercer’s interaction constituted a breach of his sexual offence prevention order (Sopo) granted in 2018.
Fiscal depute Susan Dickson told how Mercer was messaging ‘Kendra’ and there were discussions about them meeting.
Ms Dickson said Kendra would ask Mercer to send her Amazon vouchers and money.
The prosecutor said it appeared ‘Kendra’s’ WhatsApp originated from abroad and it was not certain who she actually was.
When confronted, Mercer said he’d been “waiting for the police to come round”, the court heard, and “told them about the contact”.
The horrifying details of the suffering endured by the victim of Mercer and two other men emerged at the High Court in Edinburgh 2002.
Mercer received a ten-year term while his pals, co-accused Ross Douglas and Alexander Maben, each received seven years.
The victim, named in court only as Miss X, had a severe mental handicap and moved into Mercer’s home in Newton St Boswells in the Scottish Borders when her mum died.
Instead of caring for her, Mercer, Douglas and Maben put her through three months of hell.
She was raped, subjected to revolting sexual assaults, stripped, starved, handcuffed, stamped on and severely beaten.
Mercer made her sleep naked on the hall floor and stole her benefits.
Her tormenters even tried to set her on fire and only failed because another man replaced the turpentine they were going to use with water.
She had 71 separate injuries and had to spend two weeks in hospital before being taken into care.
All three men tried to get off the hook by blaming each other but admitted a long list of assault and indecency offences when they appeared in court.
In 2009 we told how Mercer outraged veterans by parading through the streets of Edinburgh in a Marine uniform.
Mercer, 41, regularly wore desert fatigues and sported a corporal’s rank badge and Royal Marines insignia.
At the time, a Royal British Legion spokesman said: “This is absolutely disgraceful.
“We have real Royal Marine Commandos putting their lives on the line in Helmand province and at the same time this vicious fantasist is walking around imagining he is in the same category.”
On Thursday Mercer, who was being held in Edinburgh’s Saughton Prison and appeared from custody, admitted breaching his Sopo between November 25 and 29 last year in the city’s Wester Hailes area. He pled guilty to failing to disclose a relationship with an adult female to officers of the Offender Management Unit.
Sheriff Kenneth Campbell QC jailed him for 18 months.
