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A rapist warned he may never be freed from jail is back walking the streets - and is fighting for compensation.

Andrew Anderson, 34, who already has a conviction for raping a child, was seen strolling carefree through Kilmarnock town centre in Scotland.

He had his latest rape conviction quashed last week after winning an appeal.

And vile Anderson said he plans to seek a cash payout for the time he spent behind bars.

He told the Daily Record: “I’m going to get some sort of compensation one way or the other.”

In August, a jury convicted him of two rape charges and a further indecency crime against one of the women when she was a teenage girl.

(Image: DAILY RECORD)

He originally faced 18 charges. It was alleged the first rape was committed shortly after he was released early in 2010 from a previous six-year jail sentence for raping a 13-year-old girl.

But Anderson was freed at the Court of Appeal in Edinburgh last week when prosecutors did not contest his appeal against the conviction.

A cornerstone of the Crown’s prosecution of Anderson was the use of the Moorov doctrine, which commonly features in sex cases in Scotland, where evidence from one witness can corroborate that of another because of a link in time, circumstances and character of the alleged offending.

But Anderson’s conviction was quashed over the way the doctrine was applied.

Yesterday, Rape Crisis Scotland branded the development as “worrying” and said the case again highlights the impact the corroboration requirement in Scotland has on prosecuting sex abuse cases.

Lord Menzies, who was due to hear the appeal with Lord Brodie and Lord Glennie, said: “We feel that we should observe that it is a responsible decision of the Crown to adopt the position that has been adopted.

(Image: DAILY RECORD)

“There have been some occasions in which the Crown has perhaps been too ready to rely on Moorov in circumstances in which the doctrine of mutual corroboration cannot be applied and the circumstances of this case indicate that the Crown have given careful consideration to the applicability of Moorov and we commend the Crown for that decision.

“In light of the Crown’s attitude and decision not to support this conviction we shall simply allow the appeal and quash the convictions.”

Anderson was placed on an Order for Lifelong Restriction last year at the High Court in Glasgow.

Lord Armstrong, the judge who jailed Anderson in that case, ordered that he should serve a minimum term of five years and told him: “You must not assume you will be released at the end of that sentence.”

He told Anderson that under the OLR, he would only be released when he was no longer considered a danger to the public.

Anderson had denied committing the rapes on the women at houses in Kilmarnock and Cumnock, Ayrshire, and maintained his position after he was found guilty.

(Image: DAILY RECORD)

Lord Armstrong told him: “You continue to deny your guilt and take no responsibility for your actions.”

The jury at Anderson’s trial found him guilty of raping one woman on a single occasion at a house in Cumnock in 2010 by assaulting her when she was asleep.

He was also convicted of raping a second woman on an occasion between June 2014 and May 2015 at an address in Kilmarnock.

He was alleged to have refused to leave her alone and put her in a state of fear and alarm and restrained her during the assault.

Days after he was freed, the Record watched as Anderson walked the streets of Kilmarnock.

He spoke to two women and went into shops in the town centre.

When approached by the paper he claimed the Order of Lifelong Restriction – which has now been quashed – was a procedural necessity because of his previous appearances in court.

He said: “I was innocent from day one. They knew I should never have been in court in the first place.

“If someone’s been to court more than three times they say there’s a high risk of reoffending.

“I’m going to get some sort of compensation one way or the other.”

(Image: DAILY RECORD)

Sandy Brindley of Rape Crisis Scotland expressed concern about the case and praised the women who had reported Anderson.

She said: “This is worrying. This case shows the impact the corroboration requirement in Scotland has on successfully prosecuting sex abuse cases, particularly where the case is historic or there has been a delay in reporting.

“We believe that the corroboration requirement, unique to Scotland, creates far too great a risk of guilty men escaping justice.

“Our thoughts are with the women who had the courage to report and go through the justice process, only to see the case end in this manner.”

Last night, one legal source said: “The Order for Lifelong Restriction would have meant Anderson stayed in jail.

“No one who has had one of these has been released. That’s how serious this is.

“He will have trouble claiming compensation. He would have to show malice in terms of the Crown evidence and that is most unlikely to happen.”

Anderson’s lawyer Neil McPherson said: “We have to work within the law.

“The Appeal Court decided he should not have been convicted and we all have to deal with that.”