A sex attacker admitted his crime after his victim confronted him in the street and recorded their conversation.

Ian McLaren, 55, indecently assaulted the woman at a house in Fraserburgh in July 2014.

His 31-year-old victim told a nurse she had been attacked and was advised to contact the police but the woman said she did not believe she would be taken seriously because of her drug use.

Months later she ran into McLaren in Fraserburgh and activated a voice recording app on her mobile phone as she approached him.

She questioned him over the assault in an attempt to get him to admit what he had done.

During the recorded conversation McLaren said he did not want her to feel horrible about it but he could not change it or do anything about it now.

He said he was disgusted with himself and stated he did not know how many times to say sorry.

The woman took the recording to police in June 2014 and McLaren, formerly of Turriff, was detained and admitted the crime.

McLaren was charged with raping the woman but the Crown accepted his guilty plea to a reduced charge of sexually assaulting the woman by molesting her and threatening violence.

A judge at the High Court in Edinburgh jailed him for three years and two months for the offence.

McLaren was also placed on the sex offenders register.