Ludvigs Rudevics

Four Latvian men, including Ludvigs Rudevics, were convicted at the High Court in Glasgow for the grooming and sexual abuse of a vulnerable 15-year-old schoolgirl in 2015. The group treated the girl as a sex object, plying her with alcohol and cannabis, buying her lingerie, and ultimately raping her on multiple occasions.

The offences occurred in June and July 2015 in Glasgow. On 14 July 2015, at a flat in Ardencraig Road, Rudevics offered the victim a place to stay for the night and subsequently raped her. The victim told the court she was introduced to the men by a schoolfriend and that they began speaking sexually to her after initially being polite.

Rudevics, aged 35 at the time of sentencing, was found guilty of rape despite denying the charges. His defence QC, Iain McSporran, said: "He denies the rape. He shows no remorse, but it would be somewhat odd to express remorse for something he claims he didn't do." Judge Lord Armstrong addressed the accused, stating: "Aivars Hauberts, Ailands Aleksanders and Ludvigs Rudevics you stand convicted of raping this young girl. That is a grave crime from which all young girls and women should be protected." Rudevics was sentenced to six years in prison and placed on the sex offenders' register.

The victim, now 19 and living in Glasgow, explained her continued association with the men stemmed from the attention and access to drugs and alcohol she received, saying: "It was the only attention I was getting in my life. They were nice to me and they were making me feel good." The case was prosecuted by Bernard Ablett, with the sentencing occurring on 17 March 2020.