An Edinburgh man was beaten by a gang of masked men in a revenge attack after he admitted to sexually assaulting a drunk teenage girl.
22-year-old ex-soldier Matthew Lindsay suffered broken ribs and head injuries after five men attacked him just days after he pleaded guilty to the sexual assault when he appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in August.
His 19-year-old victim, who cannot be identified due to legal reasons, was said to be drunk and was put to bed by friends but was later assaulted by Lindsay while she slept.
But after he was reported to the police a subsequent forensic examination discovered the woman’s DNA on his genitals.
Lily Prais QC, defending, told the court the gang attack on the former soldier had been “a revenge attack”.
Lindsay returned to the dock on Friday 30 October where Sheriff McFadyen told him: “I accept this was, as the social work report suggests, impulsive behaviour where you found yourself in bed alongside your victim.
“Your behaviour, clearly and not surprisingly, had a significant impact on that unwitting victim.”
Lindsay was placed on a supervision order and the sex offenders register for 12 months. He was also ordered to carry out 240 hours of unpaid work as a direct alternative to custody.
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Lindsay pleaded guilty to an amended charge of sexually assaulting a woman while she was sleeping, intoxicated and incapable of giving consent at an address in Edinburgh, on April 13 last year.
