Sexual abuse survivor speaks out: ‘You wouldn’t think he was a rapist’
A SURVIVOR of sexual abuse has shared her story in hopes of encouraging other victims to “not be scared to come forward.”
Earlier this week (June 30), Owen Lonie was sentenced to seven years in jail at Edinburgh High Court after being convicted of six offences — two of rape, two of assault and two of abusive behaviour. Lonie, formerly of Strathpeffer, subjected vulnerable young women to these crimes at addresses in Dingwall, Alness and other Highland villages. One of these young women was Anna-Nicole Stewart.
“I want to share the story of me and Owen — the proper, true story,” said Anna-Nicole (24), a former Alness Academy pupil now living in Glasgow. “If you met Owen, you would not think that he was a rapist. He came across as a really nice person.
“Although I had heard rumours about things Owen had done to his past girlfriends, I didn’t know what was true because I went to a different school to him. I know now that they weren’t just rumours.”
Lonie’s offending began in March 2018 when he was aged 17 and continued until November 2022.
Anna-Nicole continued: “Owen moved in with me, and a week or two later I got a message from his ex, warning me about him.
“But because I wasn’t on good terms with her, I thought she was just jealous or annoyed. Turns out that no, she was absolutely correct and I should have listened to her.
“I was in way too deep.”
In June, new official statistics revealed a 15 per cent rise in the number of rapes and attempted rapes recorded in Scotland in 2024-2025. The figures rose from 14,484 in 2023-24 to 14,892 in 2024-25.
“Unless you’ve been in that situation, you don’t understand — I couldn’t just get up and leave him.
“I was struggling with Crohn’s disease, so I was only about five stone — there was no way I could fight back. I couldn’t push him off me. My mental health deteriorated so badly.”
The judge at Edinburgh High Court ordered that Lonie should be subject to a non-harassment order for 20 years, prohibiting him from contacting or attempting to contact victims. He was also placed on the sex offenders’ register.
The judge ordered that Lonie should be under supervision in the community for a further five years following his prison term.
During that time Lonie will be on licence and can be returned to jail if he breaches its terms.
Anna-Nicole stated: “I want people to not be scared to come forward. I just want to get my story out there, even though it is difficult for me to talk about.”
For support services for survivors of sexual violence, visit www.rasash. org.uk/support-line/