Dating site rapist who fled justice to Spain is guilty of two attacks

A DATING site rapist who staged his own death then fled the country has been convicted of attacks on two women.

- By Grant McCabe

James Clacher preyed on his victims in their own homes, a court was told.

The 57-year-old former gym boss went missing in May 2022 while facing the charges.

His car had been found parked near Loch Long in Argyll.

Inside, there was a note suggesting he planned to commit suicide by going into the water. But it later emerged that Clacher left the UK and was living in Spain.

A manhunt was launched and he was eventually traced by officers of Spain’s Civil Guard to Nerja on the Costa del Sol.

When he was arrested in May 2024, Clacher was hanging upside down on a piece of gym equipment on the beach.

Yesterday, the predator was convicted of both rape charges following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow. He will be sentenced at a later date. The trial judge stated that Clacher had acted in a “warped and self-centred manner” and warned him to expect a lengthy jail term.