Woman raped as she slept beside young daughter

Andris Valainis was found guilty of raping the woman at a house in Motherwell in September last year.

He initially told police he had not had sexual contact with the woman.

However, after it emerged that his DNA had been found on his victim during an examination, he changed his story and claimed that the sex was consensual.

A jury at the High Court in Glasgow found the 35-year-old guilty of the attack.

During the trial, his 30-year-old victim told the court: “If I wanted it to happen I wouldn’t be here.”

Judge Lord Matthews told Valainis: “The complainer went to bed with her young child lying beside her and woke up to find you having sexual intercourse with her. I accept you probably did not know the child was there.

“The complainer says she has thrown herself into work to try to put things behind her. One can only hope that the trial and this sentence will bring some closure to her.”

Prosecutor Angela Gray said: “When the police were called his victim was sobbing and he told a bare-faced lie at the police station saying he never had sex with her.

“With the mounting evidence he selected a different lie and claimed she was upset because he had stopped having sex with her.”

Defence counsel Tim Niven-Smith said Valainis had “a productive and worthwhile lifestyle”.

He said: “He is a director of a company couriering goods to Latvia and other parts of Europe. There will be financial hardship for his family while he is in custody.”

Valainis was also placed on the sex offenders’ register.