A man who attacked three women as they slept after attending parties in Edinburgh has been jailed for rape.

Justin Lovell, 25, was found guilty of raping two women and sexually assaulting a third at various addresses in Edinburgh.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard how a 19-year-old woman had been sleeping at a property in the west of the city on January 1, 2015, following a Hogmanay party, when she woke to find herself being attacked.

The woman reported the incident to police and following inquiries by the Public Protection Unit in Edinburgh it was established that Lovell had committed similar offences against other women.

Police said all of the incidents took place while the women were sleeping having been at a party.

Lovell was detained on July 29 and charged in relation to all the attacks.

On Friday, Lovell was convicted of sexual assault and two counts of rape.

He will be sentenced at a later date.

Detective constable Andy Macmillan, from the PPU at Fettes Police Station, said: "Justin Lovell preyed upon women when they were at their most vulnerable and subjected them to serious sexual assaults, which left them deeply traumatised and in fear of their safety.

"After we launched our investigation into the attack that occurred in January 2015, we spoke with more survivors of sexual abuse at the hands of Lovell, who bravely came forward and helped us build a case against him which ultimately resulted in his conviction.

"I would like to praise all of these women for their courage and cooperation during our investigation and I hope they can now take comfort in the knowledge that their abuser will spend considerable time in prison.

"Police Scotland treats all reports of sexual assault with the utmost seriousness and will investigate these crimes robustly to identify offenders and bring them to justice."