McColl was jailed for raping the girl in Hawick earlier this year

The High Court in Glasgow heard Thomas McColl, 21, carried out the attack while he was high on drink and drugs.

During an earlier court appearance he had admitted raping the girl on 28 April this year in Hawick.

Judge Lord Mackay of Drumadoon said it was clear McColl posed a high risk of reoffending and ordered monitoring for five years after his release.

"It is clear from evidence placed before me that as a result of this serious assault the girl was significantly traumatised," he said.

"It is also clear from reports that you pose a high risk of reoffending and a high risk of causing further harm to victims."

'Inappropriate language'

McColl's pleas of not guilty to other charges, alleging that he attempted to pull down another 12-year-old girl's trousers and scared other children by using "inappropriate sexual language", were accepted.

The court heard that he admitted telling his victim to go to the bedroom of a house where she was playing with other children.

The High Court in Glasgow heard McColl posed a risk of reoffending

There he held her hands above her head, pulled down her trousers and had sex with her.

Iain McSporran, prosecuting, said the youngster remained silent about her ordeal at first, but eventually told her mother McColl had "touched her".

Two weeks later, after McColl had appeared in court accused of indecent behaviour and she knew he was in custody, the 12-year-old girl revealed she had been raped.

A medical examination confirmed her story and McColl was interviewed again by detectives.

He told them: "I just wish people would stop fancying me at a young age.

"I shouldn't have done it. I am sorry. I was drunk."

Taking cannabis

The court heard that McColl, who appeared from custody, had split from his wife in March and went to live with his uncle in Hawick.

McColl had started drinking when he was aged 14 and, by the time of the rape, was consuming a bottle of vodka a day, the court was told.

Solicitor advocate Jim Stephenson, defending, said McColl was also spending £20 a day on cannabis - and had been smoking the drug on the day of the sex attack.

"His recollection of events is very poor," he said.