A SALTCOATS sex predator with a history of violence raped a terrified student – shortly after attacking another woman.

Thomas Robertson pounced on the 21-year-old as she walked home from a friend’s flat in Stirling in the early hours in February this year.

The victim feared she was going to die as Robertson held a lump of concrete over her head during the attack. But, she eventually managed to flee before collapsing in tears at home.

It emerged he had attacked a second stranger hours earlier after battering her and dragging her towards bushes.

Robertson is now behind bars after he pled guilty last week to charges of rape and assault with intent to rape.

A judge heard how the 27-year-old already had a lengthy criminal past – including jail terms for robbery. He is expected to learn his fate when he returns to the dock later this month.

The rape victim was attacked after leaving a friend’s flat around 2.30am on February 3. She was at an underpass near the Customs Roundabout in Stirling when Robertson struck.

He pinned the hysterical young woman to the ground before eventually raping her. At one point, he grabbed a piece of concrete and held it above her head.

Prosecutor Gillian Ross told the High Court in Glasgow: “She thought she was not going to escape with her life.”

Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald:

Robertson chillingly claimed at one point that if his victim did not struggle, he would not “hurt” her. But, she bravely broke free and immediately raced towards her home.

It was there she slumped to the ground before telling a friend she had been raped.

Hours earlier, Robertson, of Saltcoats, had already put a 22-year-old woman through a similar ordeal.

She had also been heading to her home in Stirling around 11pm on February 2 when she was attacked.

The woman – who had spent the night practising music with a friend – was grabbed in the city’s Bridgehaugh Road. Robertson repeatedly punched the woman before being enraged further when the victim told him she was not Polish.

He pulled her towards bushes, covered her mouth to stop her cries and menacingly brandished a length of wood at her. The victim eventually escaped his clutches before he could have sex with her.

She then hid until he had gone and managed to call the police. Robertson was spotted by police in the area after the rape incident. He initially told officers to “get to f***”.

He then headed towards a nearby river and threatened to kill himself.

But he eventually admitted what his name was before being held by police.

The court was told both women were left injured after suffering at the hands of Robertson.

Robertson has previously been locked up for serious assault as well as robbery while using a knife.