'Weirdo' guilty of raping girl revealed as Kenny Richey's nephew

A VIOLENT criminal who raped a schoolgirl in a seven-hour ordeal in the Capital is the nephew of former Death Row Scot Kenny Richey, it can be revealed today.

Ryan Smith, 25, held the terrified 16-year-old captive in his home before attacking her, then threatened to kill her if she went to police.

At the High Court in Edinburgh yesterday, Smith, who was free on two bail orders at the time of the attack and was said to be wearing an electronic tag, pleaded guilty to abducting and raping the girl.

Richey today said Ryan Smith deserved "whatever sentence the law will give him". He added: "What he did to that girl shows what kind of person he is."

Richey had become friendly with Smith last year, but the pair soon fell out and Richey has since branded him "scum". Smith accused his uncle of stealing a dead aunt's jewellery.

Richey denied the allegations and said Smith, who has previous convictions for serious assault, fireraising and theft, "made them up" to sell the story to a tabloid newspaper.

Prosecutors told the court supermarket worker Smith had left his victim "continually in fear of her safety and her life" while holding her in the flat on 8 February.

The moment a team of officers wearing body armour swooped on the flat in Whitson Crescent in Saughton after the teenager was finally released was captured on a camera phone by a neighbour.

One of Smith's neighbours, who asked not to be named, said: "He was having a party in the house with two boys and three girls. There was a lot of shouting near midnight and it burst out into the street. The kids were drunk, except the girl who was attacked. She seemed fine.

"I saw Ryan Smith chasing the boys down the street. Then a few minutes later this girl comes back looking for her friend.

"Smith came back too and he started cuddling her, saying, 'I'm not such a bad guy'. She wanted to see her friend and he told her the boy was still in the flat."

The neighbour, who described Smith as a "creepy guy, a real weirdo", said: "I only found out later from the police there was no-one else left in the flat."

The victim went to police when she was released and was interviewed by detectives that Sunday. On the Monday morning, more than a dozen officers in body armour turned up to arrest Smith.

The neighbour said: "Smith refused to let them in and they were ready to break the door down, but they managed to persuade him to open up."

Advocate depute Neil Beardmore told the court that during the hours Smith kept his victim locked up he alternated between threatening her and being apologetic.

"The victim considered trying to escape but was afraid of what the accused might do if he caught her," he said.

"The victim suffers from nightmares and fears sleeping alone and going out alone. She was unable to complete her prelims and left school."

Smith was on probation at the time of the abduction and rape. He had also been freed on bail by sheriffs in October last year and on 22 January, and had pending cases for assault and thefts.

The victim had been out with a girlfriend when they received text messages from other friends saying they were at Smith's home. The teenager went to the flat, later leaving to get a takeaway, but returned at midnight to find trouble had flared with allegations that Smith had a knife. Inside the flat, she was dragged into a bedroom, held down and bitten, and had her underwear ripped off. Detaining her for seven hours, Smith demanded she carry out sex acts on him, then raped her.

Lord Brailsford told Smith: "This is a profoundly disturbing case. The criminal record that you have is not only extensive, but causes me considerable concern.

"In your current state you quite possibly represent a very serious risk to females."

He called for background reports and a risk assessment before sentencing. Smith was remanded in custody and placed on the sex offenders register.