John Millar, a 35-year-old dangerous sex offender from Dysart, Fife, has admitted attempting to rape a 16-year-old girl in broad daylight as she walked through woodland known locally as The Den in Kirkcaldy on 11 September last year. The incident prompted a major police investigation and a High Court trial in Glasgow.
Attack In Broad Daylight
The teenager was heading to buy lunch when Millar rode his bike behind her. Prosecutor Margaret Barron told the court the girl moved aside to let him pass, but Millar got off his bike, grabbed her from behind and threw her to the ground. He then began groping her, leaving the victim terrified and fighting back by kicking and shouting.
Victim Shows Courage
Startled by her resistance, Millar fled the scene on his bike. The girl phoned her father and returned to school, where staff noticed her pale and shaken state, along with scratches and torn tights. The ordeal was described by Judge John McCormick as “the stuff of nightmares” for any 16-year-old schoolgirl.
Evidence Attack
Officers released CCTV footage showing a man with a distinctive two-tone jacket pushing a bicycle. Millar was traced two days later, and police recovered the bike and jacket from his mother’s home. Millar initially claimed attempted robbery but later admitted targeting the girl because he thought she would be “easy” and confessed he intended to rape her.
Judge Attack
Millar, who had a previous conviction from 2016 for sending explicit messages to a young girl, pleaded guilty to attempted rape. Judge McCormick deferred sentencing pending background reports but confirmed Millar would be placed on the sex offenders register. He warned there would be no alternative to a substantial custodial sentence.
