'I was raped by a childhood friend - I want others to know what he did'

A woman who was raped by a childhood friend is calling for the sex offenders register to be made public amid fears her rapist could deny his conviction. Hayley Watkins, 24, has waived her anonymity to raise awareness about what she believes is a lack of transparency with the current system. She also wants to share her experience to encourage other victims of rape to report their attacks. Hayley was raped by 19-year-old Jordan Learmonth at his home in Castle Douglas, Dumfries and Galloway, in February 2020. He was released from prison in February 2026 after serving three and half years for rape and assault. He will remain on the sex offenders register for life. But his conviction at the High Court in Stirling was not reported in the media and there is little information about it available online. Hayley believes other people should be aware of his history. "You can't find it anywhere that he [Learmonth] has been convicted of a serious sexual crime and I think people should be able to know that,'' she said. ''People have to rely on rumours and gossip to get factual information and that just doesn't make sense to me.'' She added: ''It shouldn't be down to the media to have to cover al