A LEISURE centre attendant who raped a woman and sexually abused several others was today jailed for seven years.

Sean Patrick, 30, committed the offences at various addresses in Johnstone and Paisley between June 2013 and August 2018.

The Paisley man held one victim against her will and then raped her in a car in the town's Candren Road in May 2016.

He then sent her sexually-explicit comments between July and August that year, with the intention of obtaining sexual gratification or humiliating and distressing her.

The court heard that Patrick, who worked at a leisure centre in Renfrewshire, also sent indecent photographs to some of his victims, as well as sexually abusing them.

On one occasion, he placed the nozzle from a vacuum cleaner against a victim's buttocks.

With another victim, he touched her breasts and pulled at her underwear.

Patrick was also found guilty of detaining a woman against her will at an address in Johnstone in June 2013 and touching her breasts and grabbing her buttocks.

Prosecutor John Keenan told the court that Patrick, who denied all the charges against him, has two previous convictions for road traffic offences.

He was cleared by the jury of sexually assaulting one woman by striking her between the legs with shaving foam and pressing himself against another woman.

At the High Court in Glasgow today, judge Lord Harrower told Patrick that his offences required a substantial prison sentence.

He also placed him on the Sex Offenders Register.

Defence QC Thomas Ross told the court: “Mr Patrick continues to maintain his innocence.”