Jail for Fife sex attacker for 30 years of abuse
A man branded "a danger to women" has been jailed for a minimum of seven years for abusing women over 30 years.
Michael Gray preyed on seven women, carrying out degrading sexual assaults while putting their lives at risk.
The 50-year-old, from Lochgelly, Fife, was convicted of 18 charges including nine rapes of four women.
His favoured form of violence was compressing his victims' throats with his hands and on one occasion, using the belt from a bathrobe.
At the High Court in Glasgow, judge Lord Mulholland gave Gray an order for lifelong restriction and ordered him to serve a minimum of seven years behind bars.
Gray was described as an "opportunist" who sexually assaulted his victims while they slept and used them as punchbags when they were awake.
He forced two of the women he met to have sex with other men while he watched.
Gray, who also goes by the surname Banks, had denied charges including rapes, indecent assaults, assaults to danger of life and a knife attack.
A jury had taken took just two hours to convict the unemployed former fish farm worker of committing the offences at addresses across Fife between January 1987 and January 2016.
Lord Mulholland said: "The jury unanimously rejected your evidence of denial and believed the women."
He said Gray "treated the women appallingly" and said "they are to be commended for reporting your crimes to law enforcement".
The judge added: "You will now be sentenced for these crimes. These courts regard domestic abuse, physical and sexual violence and rape very seriously."
Det Ch Insp Debra Forrester from the Domestic Abuse Task Force said: "The courage of the victims who spoke out against him should be commended.
"I hope it encourages others who are suffering domestic abuse to have confidence that they will be taken seriously, by both the police and our partners, if they come forward."