Edinburgh attacker led drunk woman until security guard acted 2026

Key Points

• A 34-year-old man, Olaksandr Dupik, was jailed for four years after attempting to rape a highly intoxicated woman in Edinburgh’s New Town.
• A security guard working at a private office spotted the woman being held up by Dupik, followed them into a dark lane, and intervened when he heard the victim say “ouch” and “no”.
• The guard’s intervention stopped the attack; Dupik pulled up his trousers and ran when the guard shouted, “What the f—!”
• Lady Drummond at the High Court in Edinburgh said the only thing that stopped Dupik was the vigilance and thoughtfulness of the security guard.
• CCTV showed the woman was so intoxicated she had to be held up by others; Lady Drummond said it must have been obvious to Dupik she was incapable of consenting.
• Dupik arrived in the UK under the Ukrainian refugee scheme and had never met the woman before that night.
• The victim’s next memory after leaving the bar was “being in the dark lying on cobbled stones”.
• Dupik initially claimed there was consensual kissing but no sexual activity, but admitted attempting to rape the woman on 23 November last year at Thistle Street North East Lane.
• The judge said Dupik would have faced five and a half years’ imprisonment but this was reduced following his guilty plea.
• Police found the victim slurring her speech and unable to stand without assistance after the incident.

Edinburgh (Edinburgh Daily) July 01 2026 – A sex predator who led a vulnerable, highly intoxicated woman into a dark city centre lane in Edinburgh was jailed for four years on Wednesday after a security guard thwarted his bid to rape the victim.

As reported by Edinburgh Live, the attacker was Olaksandr Dupik, a 34-year-old man who arrived in the UK under the Ukrainian refugee scheme and had never met the woman before that night. The woman was on a night out with a friend and ended up in a city centre bar where she met Dupik. She could not recall leaving the venue and said her next memory was of “being in the dark lying on cobbled stones”.

Dupik left the bar with the woman, and a security guard, who was working at a private office, noticed them because the woman appeared highly intoxicated and it seemed Dupik was holding her up. The guard noticed the woman was “flopping about” and saw her fall against shutters; he contacted a supervisor to tell him of his concerns.

Dupik led the woman into the lane, where she fell onto the cobbles on the roadway; he helped her to her feet and she sat on the pavement where he kissed her and touched her body. She fell back on the pavement, but Dupik picked her up and put her over an electricity box; he was behind her and pulled down her lower clothing and began trying to rape her.

The victim tried to strike him away with her hands. The concerned security guard left his office and was at the corner of the lane when he heard the victim say “ouch” and “no”. He walked into the lane, saw the sex attacker and the woman, and shouted: “What the f—!” which prompted Dupik to pull up his trousers and flee.

How did the security guard’s actions stop the attack?

The guard’s intervention was described by the judge as the single factor that prevented the rape from being completed. As reported by Edinburgh Live, Lady Drummond told Dupik:

“The only thing that stopped you in your attempts was the vigilance and thoughtfulness of a security guard”.

The judge said at the High Court in Edinburgh: “It was only on hearing him shout at you that you stopped and ran off”. Lady Drummond added that the security guard is to be commended for the actions he took out of concern and care towards the complainer, and that “Had he not interrupted you, I have no doubt you would have persisted in your behaviour”.

What did the judge say about the victim’s vulnerability

Lady Drummond was previously shown CCTV film of events in the lead up to the attempted rape perpetrated by Dupik in Edinburgh’s New Town.

The judge said:

“It is obvious to anyone viewing that footage that the woman was in a highly intoxicated and vulnerable state”.

She stated:

“You had never met her until that night and it must have been obvious to you that she was intoxicated and incapable of consenting to any sexual activity”.

Lady Drummond said:

“She can be seen on the footage having to be held up by others out of concern for her wellbeing, yet you, knowing her vulnerable state, walked her down a dark and isolated lane and attempted to rape her”.

What was the legal outcome for Olaksandr Dupik?

The court heard that the woman was on a night out with a friend and ended up in a city centre bar where she met Dupik, and that she could not recall leaving the venue.

Dupik, 34, who arrived in the UK under the Ukrainian refugee scheme, earlier admitted attempting to rape the woman on 23 November last year at Thistle Street North East Lane in Edinburgh. Police were alerted and they spoke with the victim, who was slurring her speech and unable to stand without assistance; Dupik was arrested in the early hours of the morning and later claimed that there was consensual kissing with the woman but no sexual activity.

The judge told Dupik that he would have faced a sentence of five and a half years’ imprisonment but that would be reduced following his guilty plea. He was ultimately jailed for four years on Wednesday.

What does the CCTV footage show?

CCTV film of events in the lead up to the attempted rape was shown to Lady Drummond at the High Court in Edinburgh.

The judge said the footage clearly showed the woman was in a highly intoxicated and vulnerable state, and that she could be seen having to be held up by others out of concern for her wellbeing. This evidence was used by the court to establish that Dupik knew her state and that she was incapable of consenting to any sexual activity.

How did the victim describe what happened

The victim said her next memory after leaving the bar was of

“being in the dark lying on cobbled stones”.

After the security guard went to her aid, she was lying on the pavement and told him:

“I think I’ve been sexually assaulted”.

Police later found her slurring her speech and unable to stand without assistance.

Background of the development

This case is part of a wider pattern of predatory behaviour towards vulnerable women in Edinburgh’s city centre, where men have been convicted of leading intoxicated women into dark or isolated lanes before attempting or committing rape.

Scottish courts have repeatedly described such conduct as “predatory”, emphasising that offenders exploit obvious vulnerability and intoxication, and have used extended sentences and indefinite sex offender registration to address the risk posed by such behaviour.

Prediction: How this development can affect Edinburgh residents

This sentencing is likely to increase public awareness among women and vulnerable people in Edinburgh about how predators can target those who are highly intoxicated and unable to consent, and may encourage more people to seek help from staff in bars, clubs, or security personnel before entering dark lanes.

It may also reinforce confidence in stepping in or reporting suspicious behaviour, as the case shows how a single security guard’s vigilance prevented a rape, which could encourage more people to intervene or alert authorities when they see someone being led away from public areas into isolated spaces.