A serial rapist has had his minimum jail term cut to seven years by judges.

John MacIntosh was originally sentenced to a discretionary life sentence and ordered to serve at least ten years in prison.

MacIntosh, formerly of Dingwall in Ross and Cromarty, challenged the sentence and on Friday it was decided the original life term could not stand.

Judges have now imposed an Order for Lifelong Restriction on him and said he must serve a seven-year minimum period in jail before he becomes eligible to apply for parole.

The decision was made at the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh.

MacIntosh, 48, was found guilty of raping three women and sexually assaulting and attempting to rape a nine-year-old girl.

The offences occurred in the Inverness and Dingwall areas between 1996 and 2004. He had previously been jailed for having sex with girls aged 13 and 14.

The judge who jailed MacIntosh told him: "You targeted vulnerable females in order to gratify your carnal lust.

"You have called all these women liars and show no remorse for what you did. It is clear to me that you have no respect for women and are a sexual fiend."

Under an Order for Lifelong Restriction, the court imposes a minimum term to be served, known as a punishment part, but the offender is only released when the parole board considers he no longer poses a threat to the community