A former SNP equalities officer who said he “wanted to beat up” sexist feminists was a “dangerous” predator, prosecutors said, after he was jailed for a series of sexual assaults.
Cameron Downing, the Scottish National Party’s London representative, was sentenced to six years in prison at the Edinburgh High Court.
He was convicted of sexually assaulting six young adults and physically assaulting two women.
The 24-year-old targeted his victims at addresses in the Edinburgh, Glasgow and Falkirk areas between Hogmanay 2016 and April 2021.
Downing was also found guilty of domestic violence, which lasted for months and in which he threatened a former partner for falsely accusing him of raping her.
He said he would tell the man’s friends, family and employers before blackmailing the victim into having sex.
Online behaviour criticised by JK Rowling
Downing, who identifies as non-binary, was seen at an SNP conference with former Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon and attended a Pride march with SNP MSP and Holyrood’s chair of equalities committee Karen Adam. There is no suggestion they were aware of any wrongdoing.
JK Rowling has been criticised for her online behaviour after writing on Twitter that she “wants to kick some terfs and transphobes”. She also tweeted: “I hate terfs and transphobes”.
“Terf” is short for the trans-exclusionary radical feminist term, a slur used to describe women who, like Rowling, do not believe that men who claim to identify as women are truly women and who want to maintain single-sex spaces.
Police Scotland launched an investigation into his behaviour, which began when he was 16. During his trial, he denied any wrongdoing and said he was struggling with “complex” health issues at the time of the abuse.
But Downing, of Willowbrae, Edinburgh, was found guilty last month and appeared in court again on Tuesday for sentencing.
‘No mercy’
Judge Alison Stirling referred to an interview he gave to a court-appointed social worker in which he continued to maintain his innocence.
“You have shown no compassion or understanding for how you have impacted the well-being of your victims,” he said.
“Your risk cannot be managed in the community and in this case, custody is the only appropriate solution given the seriousness of your offending.
“I will impose a two-part sentence. The first part will be a six-year sentence and the second part will be probation.”
He also ordered that Downing be supervised by authorities for three years after his release.
He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely and made the subject of an indefinite non-harassment order in relation to one of the complainants.
Downing blew kisses to family members sitting in the public pews as security guards escorted her from the courtroom.
Speaking after the hearing at the High Court of Scotland, prosecutor Katrina Parkes said: “Cameron Downing is a dangerous individual whose predatory and manipulative behaviour has caused unimaginable trauma.
“This prosecution was made possible by the courage and bravery of his victims.”
‘Downing a victim of homophobia’
Defence barrister Michael Meehan KC told the court that youth sentencing guidelines applied in Downing’s case.
Judges must take into account research showing that the brains of people under 24 are not yet fully formed and that they have a better chance of rehabilitation than older people.
Mr Meehan also told the court how his client had had adverse experiences in his childhood, adding: “He was the victim of homophobic and derogatory remarks while at school.”
Downing is a former drama student who starred in Edinburgh Fringe productions and also worked as an NHS contact tracer during the pandemic.
In response to tweets about “terrorists”, Harry Potter author Rowling tweeted in October 2022: “Nicola Sturgeon’s Scotland: where an equality officer can freely declare in public how much she wants to beat up non-conforming women.”
The trial heard Downing had threatened to tell her ex-partner, her friends, family and employer that he was a rapist.
One message shown to the jury said Downing wanted his victim to continue having sex with him. He wrote: “You have to want it with every f—— you because the alternative is to cut me out of your life and probably end up on trial for raping me.”
He also sent threatening messages to the victim several times, demanding that she give him her social media passwords and threatening to commit suicide.
Downing repeatedly subjected the man to sexual activity without his consent over a period of months.