‘Brad Pitt stand-in’ jailed for cheating on partner for sex without a condom | Scotland

A man who claimed to have worked as a film stand-in for Brad Pitt has been jailed for rape after he tricked his then-partner into thinking he had used a condom during sex.

Luke Ford, 35, was jailed for 16 years for a sustained campaign of abuse against several women, including Scotland’s first prosecution for “theft” – having unprotected sex when a partner only consented to sex if a condom was used – which is rape.

Ford was given an extended sentence of 21 years with 16 years in custody at the High Court in Edinburgh on Wednesday after he was found guilty of 19 charges of violence, sexual assault, threats and abuse against women, including seven counts of rape.

Charges for theft are extremely rare, which police have attributed to under-reporting and women not realizing it is a crime.

In previous cases, the court heard Ford had subjected his nine victims to physical, mental and sexual abuse over a 12-year period, targeting women on dating apps, showering them with affection and then financially exploiting, controlling and abusing them.

The court heard that Ford, from Stirling, was a working actor and model, appearing as a stand-in for Brad Pitt in the film World War Z, shot in Glasgow in 2013.

A rape victim he met on Tinder in 2017 described needing protection because she didn’t want to risk pregnancy, to which he replied: “good idea”.

In bed, she handed him a condom, which he later told her he hadn’t used. She said: “I was shocked and upset. I wouldn’t have had sex with him without a condom. I asked him to leave. I felt completely violated.”

When she confronted him the following day, Ford dismissed her as “paranoid” and said it was “no big deal” and taking the morning-after pill.

Scotland’s Public Prosecutor for Sexual Offenses at the High Court, Katrina Parkes, said the Prosecution Service demonstrated a commitment “to use every tool at our disposal to secure justice for victims”.

Parkes said: “Significantly, among the many offenses he committed, our prosecutors were able to prove rape in Ford’s failure to use a condom during sex – without the consent of his then-partner.

“This demonstrates the commitment of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Services to the continued development of the way in which sexual offenses are prosecuted.”

There have only been two previous successful prosecutions in the UK, both in England – in 2019 and earlier this year.