An accused rapist faked his own death and went on the run for two years, a court has heard.

James Clacher, 57, hid in the wild, surviving on berries and puddle water, before fleeing to Spain, the High Court in Glasgow was told.

He is on trial there accused of raping two women, the first in Troon, South Ayrshire, in 2019 and the second in Glasgow in 2020.

Jurors were told the former gym boss was reported missing while facing court proceedings in May 2022.

His car was found abandoned in in Argyll and Bute with a suicide note in the back, along with cut up bank cards, Sergeant Craig Brown told the court.

In the note, Clacher said he was ‘ending’ things because of the ‘pain and suffering’ caused to his family, jurors heard.

He blamed the first complainant, accusing her of refusing to sto

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