A DUNFERMLINE man who throttled and sexually assaulted two women has been jailed for six years today.

Richard Hynd, 55, formerly of Woodmill Crescent, subjected one victim to a violent attack when he detained her in a house in Fife and forced her to take off her clothes before carrying out a sex act on her.

During the abduction of the first woman, he grabbed her by the throat, compelled her to hand over her mobile phone and forced his hand into her mouth before dragging and pushing her into a bedroom.

The former telecommunications industry worker previously subjected the victim to assaults in which he compressed her throat, bit her, put a pillow over her face and threw a bottle at her. The woman was assaulted to the danger of her life.

Hynd indecently assaulted her on one occasion when he pinned her down.

He carried out a similar attack on a second victim at an address in Dunfermline while she was asleep or unconscious after he caused her to take an ecstasy tablet or similar substance.

Hynd punched her in the face, grabbed by the throat, kicked and pulled her by the arm.

A judge at the High Court in Edinburgh heard that both women were prescribed medication following their ordeals.

Hynd was earlier convicted of five charges of assault and indecent assault, committed between November 1999 and June 2005, against the women at addresses in Fife.

Judge Gordon Liddle told him: "You are assessed as indifferent towards your victims and you accused each of your victims of lying."

The judge said he had shown no remorse.

Sentence had been deferred for the preparation of a background report which said Hynd was more concerned with his own plight than the suffering of victims.

The judge said that one victim was changed from an outgoing person into one who is isolated and receives medication for depression and anxiety.

The other has suffered anxiety and panic attacks and is also prescribed medication.

Judge Liddle said that the author of the background report on Hynd considered that the likelihood of his re-offending was high.

He said that because of the gravity of the crimes and his past record only a custodial sentence was appropriate.

He also ordered that Hynd should be kept under supervision for a further two years and warned that if he breached licence conditions during that period he could be returned to prison.

The court heard that he continued to deny any sexual element to his offending.

Defence solicitor advocate Gordon Martin said that although Hynd had a criminal record much of it was for minor road traffic offences.

He said his client had contributed to society throughout his life working in a variety of responsible jobs in the telecommunications industry.

Mr Martin said Hynd was concerned about the effect of his imprisonment on his family.

He added: "He has, in addition, concerns about how his family will deal with the inevitable reporting of this in the press and the opprobrium that people suffer as a result of convictions for this sort of offending."

Hynd, who followed today's proceedings via a TV link to prison, was placed on the sex offenders' register indefinitely.