A criminology undergraduate was today branded a ‘dangerous sexual predator’ after being jailed for the rape and sexual assault of two female students.
Ewan Blair, 21, attacked the terrified women within days of each other after befriending them in Liverpool city centre, one at a bar and the other in an accommodation smoking area.
After finally allowing one of his victims to leave his bedroom following an ordeal lasting several hours, the ‘deplorable’ rapist told her to ‘look pleased’.
Blair – originally from Belfast – was yesterday sentenced to ten years in jail after being convicted of four counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault and one count of assault by penetration.
It can now be revealed that Blair had previous convictions for assault and that several other students had flagged up his misogynistic behaviour.
One of his victims told a court that she had only moved to Liverpool two weeks early having never previously lived away from home.
‘That excitement has now been tainted by what happened to me,’ she added.
Blair, who lived in Liverpool, met his victims in the autumn term of 2023 and both said he seemed friendly at first, his trial heard.
He met the first student in a bar in Liverpool city centre and talked with her on several occasions as the evening went on, seeming chatty and friendly.
Blair persuaded the woman to let him go with her to her accommodation, only to become physically and verbally aggressive, the Crown Prosecution Service said today.
She became ‘scared’ and told him to stop, but he wouldn’t. He finally left the room a few hours later, having sexually assaulted her.
The victim reported the incident to the police and the university authorities were also told.
Less than a fortnight later, Blair began chatting to another woman in a student accommodation smoking area in Liverpool.
Again, he seemed friendly and chatty and invited the victim to wait for her taxi in his accommodation.
But instead he pulled her into his room and raped her several times.
When he finally allowed her to leave a few hours later he told her to ‘look pleased’, his trial heard. Instead she reported the incident to the police the following day.
Blair was arrested on October 1, 2023, insisting to police that the sexual encounters with both women were consensual and that he hadn’t used force or violence.
It emerged that he had previous convictions for assault and several other students had flagged up his misogynistic behaviour.
He was charged with five counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, one count of assault, false imprisonment, intentional strangulation and causing a person to engage in sexual activity without their consent.
He denied all the charges but following a trial at Liverpool Crown Court, last December a jury found him guilty of four counts of rape as well as one count each of sexual assault and assault by penetration against one victim, and one count of sexual assault against the other.
He was acquitted of the other charges. Yesterday he was sentenced to ten years in jail.
In a statement to the court, one of the women said: ‘Two weeks before the assault, I moved to Liverpool to start university.
‘It was my first time living away from home and I was excited to start a new life in a new city.
‘That excitement has now been tainted by what happened to me. After the assault I felt a loss of control – I felt like I was no longer myself.
‘No longer in charge of my body, my emotions or my thought. The violation of my personal space and my body has led to constant anxiety, nightmares and a deep sense of vulnerability.’
The other victim said: ‘I have concerns for my future after the most difficult sixteen months of my life.
‘I am trying to take things one day at a time and lean on those family members and friends who know what happened to me, whilst my mental health is at an all-time low.
‘I worry that I will always feel like this and that it will never go away. I just desperately wish this had never happened to me.’
Restraining orders were also imposed to prevent Blair being able to make any contact with the victims in the future.
Afterwards Wendy Newton, a specially trained prosecutor with the Rape and Serious Sexual Offences unit at CPS Mersey-Cheshire, said: ‘Ewan Blair is a dangerous sexual predator.
‘He befriended women and then subjected them to serious sexual assaults.
‘It appears that Blair’s attitude to women in general was extremely disturbing and he seems to have believed that violence towards women was something that was acceptable. Their feelings didn’t matter at all.
‘These women have spoken of the violation and trauma they have felt since the incidents. But they have also spoken of their determination to rebuild their lives and carry on.
‘The Crown Prosecution Service would like to pay tribute to them and we hope that this successful prosecution will help them in their journey forward.’
Detective Sergeant Bob Sandham of Merseyside Police said: ‘Blair’s predatory behaviour on both women is deplorable and he then put them through the trauma of having to relive the experience by way of a trial.
‘This has been an extremely lengthy and complex investigation. And while no sentence will repair the damage Blair inflicted on his victims’ I hope this conviction has secured some justice for them.
‘I would like to praise the dignity the victims have shown throughout the investigation.
‘Today’s results shows that violence against women and girls will simply not be tolerated and we will work tirelessly to bring perpetrators to justice.’
He added: ‘We are committed to protecting victims of sexual offences, and anyone who reports an incident to us will be safeguarded and supported throughout the investigation by Specially Trained Officers and Sexual Violence Advocates who will provide all the relevant support.
‘Anyone that has been a victim of a sexual offence, is concerned for the safety of someone they know or suspects someone to be engaging in this criminal activity, should come forward and speak to us.
‘We have a team of dedicated staff who will expertly and compassionately deal with your reports and we will do everything we can to bring offenders to justice.’
