Police in Scotland have launched a fresh investigation into a possible serious sexual assault linked to James Clacher, the former gym boss from Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, who was recently jailed for raping two women he met through dating apps. The new allegation, dating back to 2017 in the Cambuslang area, emerged shortly after Clacher’s conviction and dramatic extradition from Spain, reopening wounds for his previous victims and raising further questions about how he managed to evade justice for so long.
Clacher, 57, was sentenced earlier this month to eight years in prison, with an additional two years on licence, after being found guilty of two violent rapes in 2019 and 2020. According to BBC, both attacks occurred in the victims’ homes after Clacher connected with them on Tinder and Bumble, respectively. The court heard harrowing accounts of how he assaulted the first woman within minutes of arriving at her home in Ayrshire and later raped her again in her bedroom. The second victim, who met Clacher on Bumble, described how a seemingly innocuous evening—dinner and a walk on the beach—ended in terror when she was pinned against her couch and attacked in her Glasgow flat.
Detective Inspector Bruce Fyfe of Police Scotland described the impact of Clacher’s crimes with stark candor, stating, “It’s difficult to comprehend the distress and suffering Clacher caused the women in this case.” Fyfe also emphasized the extensive efforts undertaken to locate Clacher after his disappearance, noting, “Following the missing person report, extensive inquiries were carried out to establish his whereabouts. As the investigation into the missing person and sexual offences progressed, it became clear he had left the country to evade justice after faking his own death.”
The saga took a bizarre turn in May 2022, as Clacher, then facing trial on rape charges, vanished from Airdrie. His car, a Suzuki Swift, was found abandoned at Loch Long in Argyll, and a suicide note was left behind, suggesting he had ended his life. The ruse, however, soon unraveled. Police Scotland, after issuing public appeals and receiving an anonymous tip, discovered Clacher alive and well—living under the radar in Nerja, a sun-soaked town on Spain’s Costa Del Sol.
According to STV News, Clacher had integrated himself into the local community, apparently blending in with ease. The Spanish Civil Guard, working in tandem with Britain’s National Crime Agency, tracked him down to a public beach in Nerja on May 21, 2024. Officers posing as tourists apprehended him while he was exercising on gym equipment—a scene captured in a dramatic video later released by Spanish authorities. Clacher was swiftly extradited to Scotland, where he stood trial at the High Court in Glasgow and was ultimately convicted.
During his extradition flight back to Scotland, Clacher reportedly told a police officer that he had “survived on berries and puddle water” while initially on the run. This detail, shared by STV News, added a strange, almost surreal twist to an already extraordinary story. Yet, for Clacher’s victims, the ordeal was anything but cinematic. Lord Cubie, who presided over the trial, remarked that Clacher’s “self-imposed exile” in Spain had only deepened the trauma for those he had harmed.
The timeline of Clacher’s crimes and subsequent flight from justice is as disturbing as it is intricate. The first known attack occurred in August 2019, when Clacher met a woman on Tinder and, within “10 to 15 minutes max” of arriving at her home, assaulted her. The second attack took place in September 2020, after Clacher and the victim, who had met on Bumble, returned to her Glasgow flat. In both cases, the women reported feeling scared, overpowered, and unable to escape. Despite Clacher’s insistence that the encounters were consensual, the jury found otherwise.
But the story didn’t end with the conviction. On October 3, 2025, Police Scotland confirmed they had received a report of a possible serious sexual assault in Cambuslang dating back to 2017, understood to relate to Clacher. A spokesperson for the force stated, “On Wednesday, October 3, 2025, we received a report of a possible serious sexual assault in the Cambuslang area in 2017. Enquiries are at a very early stage.” The investigation is ongoing, and no further details about the alleged incident or potential new victims have been released.
Clacher’s ability to evade capture for nearly two years has prompted scrutiny of both local and international law enforcement efforts. BBC reports that after his disappearance, Police Scotland worked closely with the National Crime Agency and Spanish police to track him down. Their collaboration ultimately led to his arrest and return to the UK, but only after Clacher had managed to live openly in Spain, apparently without raising suspicion among neighbors or authorities.
The broader implications of the Clacher case have not gone unnoticed in Scotland and beyond. His use of dating apps to target victims has reignited conversations about online safety, particularly for women. Advocates have called for greater vigilance and improved safety measures on platforms like Tinder and Bumble, emphasizing the need for users to exercise caution when meeting strangers. The case also highlights the challenges law enforcement faces in tracking fugitives who cross international borders, especially those adept at blending in and fabricating convincing stories.
As for Clacher, he is now serving his sentence in Scotland, with the term backdated to his arrest in Spain in May 2024. The new allegation from 2017, however, means that his legal troubles may be far from over. Police Scotland has urged anyone with information related to the Cambuslang incident or any other possible offences to come forward, assuring the public that all reports will be taken seriously and investigated thoroughly.
For the women who survived Clacher’s attacks, the hope is that justice—however delayed—will continue to be served. As the investigation into the 2017 allegation unfolds, authorities are determined not to let the passage of time or the audacity of Clacher’s escape hinder their pursuit of the truth. The case remains a sobering reminder of the resilience required by victims and the persistence demanded of those seeking justice on their behalf.
