A brave rape survivor who snared her attacker in a secret recording has branded him "pathetic" after his latest bid for freedom.
Ellie Wilson, 25, was raped by Daniel McFarlane while attending the University of Glasgow between December 2017 and February 2018.
He was convicted after Ellie gathered a catalogue of evidence against him, including sickening messages and a disturbing taped conversation where he admitted his guilt.
McFarlane, 24, from Inverness, was caged for five years in July 2022 for two counts of rape and attempting to defeat the ends of justice after a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.
He was put on the sex offenders register for an indefinite period but tried to appeal his sentence and conviction twice, with his latest attempt being rejected in March of this year.
Yesterday, he launched a further bid to appeal his sentence with the UK Supreme Court which was also refused.
Speaking after the outcome, Ellie said: "I'm relieved that his appeal has been rejected again but I know this will not be the last of his pathetic attempts.
"He has already appealed and been rejected twice, but he won't stop and is determined to keep going."
Ellie, who has waived her right to anonymity, said McFarlane's fresh attempt to quash his conviction has left her feeling like he is 'relentlessly tormenting' her.
She continued: "I learnt about his appeal from COPFS in a phone call. I was in complete and utter shock - I was shaking, I felt sick.
"As soon as I hung up the phone I burst into tears. Going to court in the first instance was one of the most traumatic and terrifying experiences of my life.
"To be put back into that same headspace by him is beyond cruel. My case was heard in the High Court almost a year ago and only last month I was celebrating his appeal being denied.
"I thought this meant I could officially move on, but he’s relentlessly tormenting me.
"The message this sends to others is one of despair. Convictions are already so hard to reach. My case has a huge amount of evidence and I managed to secure a guilty verdict, and now he’s using the courts to harass me."
Ellie, who still struggles with PTSD, had been focused on campaigning for justice reform and calling for UCAS to reinstate the requirement for university applicants to disclose serious offences such as rape or sexual assault.
Ellie called for urgent action to be taken after discovering McFarlane was allowed to study at Edinburgh University in 2021, despite the university being aware of his charge and upcoming trial.
In 2019, UCAS removed the requirement for applicants to declare whether they have any relevant unspent criminal convictions, saying the main reason behind this was data protection.
Ellie feels her efforts are being ruined by McFarlane's constant appeals.
She added: "Having my rapist behind bars definitely helped in the healing process. I’m still struggling with PTSD, but I felt like things were moving forward.
"I’d been focused on my campaigning and making an impact on the world. I was invited to the Scottish Government’s Criminal Justice Reform Bill launch - these are great achievements for me, but now he’s ruining them.
"The message this sends to others is one of despair. Convictions are already so hard to reach. My case has a huge amount of evidence and I managed to secure a guilty verdict, and now he’s using the courts to harass me."
A spokesperson for the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service said: "An application to the UK Supreme Court which called today was considered and refused."
McFarlane will ask to appeal his sentence with the UK Supreme Court at Parliament House in Edinburgh at 10am on Thursday, April 27.
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