Steven Wilson, 60, who stabbed a man to death in 1988, has now been convicted at the High Court in Glasgow of raping two women in horrific ordeals spanning a 10-year period. Wilson, who has a history of violence and mental health issues, has been in and out of jails and psychiatric facilities since his initial conviction for stabbing a man outside a London pub in 1988. He is also notorious for escaping custody in 2012.
The 60-year-old is now back in prison after being convicted of these latest offences. He preyed on the first woman between July 1999 and July 2000. This included a violent rape at a high-rise flat in Glasgow’s Knightswood area, where he also held a gun to the woman’s head, brandished a knife, locked her in the flat, and broke her mobile phone.
The second woman was repeatedly raped by Wilson between 2005 and 2009, including an incident in a van on an industrial estate in Springburn, Glasgow. Wilson tormented this victim at a flat in Renfrew, where she was punched, slapped, threatened, and held against her will. Both women later bravely came forward to the police, revealing the extent of their suffering at Wilson’s hands. As a result, Wilson was found guilty of four charges involving assault, rape, and abduction of each victim.
After the verdicts, Iain McSporran KC, Wilson’s defense lawyer, stated that he would not seek a “mental health disposal” for Wilson, meaning he would not request that Wilson be sent to a mental health facility instead of prison. McSporran indicated that he plans to ask the court to impose a prison sentence and nothing else. Lord Fairley ordered that Wilson remain in custody, and the case was adjourned until July 24 in Edinburgh, as reported by the Daily Record.
Wilson had originally been found guilty of manslaughter at Knightsbridge Crown Court due to diminished responsibility related to the death of a man in 1988. In 2012, he absconded after failing to return from unescorted leave from Leverndale Hospital in Glasgow. There was a public outcry when it was revealed that Wilson had been on the loose for two weeks before the public was warned about his dangerous past. This information came to light accidentally when a Scottish civil servant sent an email to the media discussing Wilson, who had also previously escaped from the State Hospital at Carstairs.
