Moment convicted rapist escapes police after 'bestial' rape of 15-year-old girl in 'basement lair'
CCTV footage has been released showing the moment convicted rapist Aaron Strachan makes a run for it while being led towards a waiting prison van.
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In the brief clip, the 21-year-old can be seen coming out of the Court of Session in Edinburgh, accompanied by two security officers.
Dressed in a bright red top, Strachan is handcuffed to an officer walking ahead of him while the other walks closely behind him.
Another guard can be seen in the cab of the van, which is parked with its doors open just metres from the entrance to the court building.
As the group approaches the van, Strachan can be seen yanking his hand free from the cuffs and sprinting away.
Today, Strachan has been given a life sentence after abducting and raping a 15-year-old girl in Edinburgh city centre.
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As the guards run after him, the one leading the chase can be seen losing his balance and stumbling, giving Strachan precious seconds to get away.
He ran in the direction of the Royal Mile before “disappearing from view”.
A major police search was launched involving traffic police, armed officers and others, and Strachan was traced and apprehended soon afterwards.
Strachan approached a girl as she waited at a bus stop in the early hours of 25 May 2025 before he abducted her.
The girl, who felt uneasy, walked towards Princes Street where other people were nearby. CCTV later showed Strachan, who was wearing a balaclava, following her from a distance.
He then ran towards her as she sat at a second bus stop, threatened her with a knife and forced her into the basement of a building on York Place.
Strachan blocked the exit with wooden pallets before raping the girl. He did not know her.
He was identified after DNA evidence was found at the scene.
Police later spotted him on Dalry Road on 1 June 2025.
He ran from officers but was found hiding in shrubbery shortly afterwards.
Strachan pleaded guilty to rape at the High Court in Edinburgh on 4 December 2025. He also admitted repeatedly stabbing a man in the hand with a knife, causing severe injury, hours before the rape.
He further admitted assaulting another man with a claw hammer on 28 May 2025, to the danger of life.
After sentencing was adjourned, Strachan escaped from custody while leaving the court building on 13 January 2026. He was caught by police a short time later.
On 27 July 2026, he was handed an indefinite sentence and ordered to serve at least five years before he can be considered for parole. He has been placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.
At the High Court in Edinburgh on Monday, Strachan’s lawyer Simon Collins said the escape attempt had been “a moment of impulsiveness”, after he noticed the cuffs were “not tight enough to prevent him from removing his hand”.
Judge O’Grady told Strachan his actions were “the stuff of nightmares for every woman and every young girl, and every parent who waits at home for their child to return home safely”.
“The word predatory is perhaps overused in these courts, but it is an inescapable adjective to describe this truly bestial crime,” he said.“
You left your lair and went out hunting for a vulnerable victim.
“Finding one, you stalked her, threatened her at knifepoint and took her to a dingy basement and raped her.”
Faye Cook, Procurator Fiscal for High Court Sexual Offences, said: “Aaron Strachan’s actions in abducting his victim before raping her were calculated, predatory, and caused profound harm.
“Although this type of stranger offending is rare, this conviction reflects the gravity of his crimes and the commitment of prosecutors and police to bring him to justice.
“Sexual violence and the use of weapons to intimidate and harm have no place in our society.
“We will continue to take action against perpetrators while supporting victims throughout the prosecution process.”