A care home manager in North Lanarkshire has been locked up for seven years and nine months after admitting to raping a vulnerable colleague and sexually assaulting two other young women. Naijil Paul threatened one victim with the sack if she refused to perform sex acts, a chilling abuse of power that has shocked the community.
Fled Scotland, Caught in India
Paul was due to face trial in 2019 but skipped bail and vanished, fleeing to Kochi, India, under the pretence that his father was ill. A warrant was issued for his arrest. It wasn’t until February this year that he was finally arrested in Delhi and extradited back to Scotland to stand trial.
Victim Blaming Still Shows Despite Guilty Plea
Despite pleading guilty in October, Paul displayed a disturbing level of victim blaming, claiming in a pre-sentencing report that he thought he was doing one woman a favour. The court was not impressed and sentenced him to almost eight years, reducing the term slightly due to his guilty plea.
- Charges: rape and two charges of sexual assault
- Sentenced by High Court in Glasgow
- Extradited from India after years on the run
This case shines a harsh spotlight on abuse in care homes and the lengths offenders will go to evade justice.
