A man who entered the home of a “complete stranger” and then went on to choke the woman unconscious and rape her during a life-threatening “night of terror” has been jailed for eight years.

Kyle Allan, 31, had been drinking heavily at a friend’s barbeque before going to the victim’s home in the Cove area of Aberdeen.

The 35-year-old woman, who had left her door unlocked as a family member had gone out for the evening, had settled down with a glass of wine when Allan struck.

The tyre-fitter seized her by the throat. The victim tried to fight him off by grabbing his face and beard and attempting to hit him in the groin, but Allan choked her unconscious.

Allan hit the woman on the head and body, forcibly removed her clothes and threw her to the ground before raping her.

The victim attempted to flee from her home but was assaulted and held back by Allan before he eventually left the house with his shorts still at his knees.

Prosecutor Isabella Ennis KC told judge Lord Ericht that Allan threatened to kill the woman and her family if she reported the attack to police.

The woman initially phoned a family member as well as a friend but urged them not to call emergency services as she was fearful that Allan would return.

However, the friend told her husband to dial 999 and Allan was traced and arrested the following day.

Ms Ennis said the incident has left the victim with “deep psychological trauma” and she has been unable to return home.

The incident occurred on 10 June this year.

At the High Court in Edinburgh last month, Allan pleaded guilty to a charge of rape and assaulting the woman to the danger of her life.

Allan, of Cove, was sentenced at the High Court in Dundee on Friday and was told he would have been facing 12 years behind bars had it not been for his early guilty plea.

He has also been added to the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.

Lord Ericht said Allan “entered the home of a complete stranger”.

The judge added: “You subjected her to a terrifying ordeal, grabbing her throat until she was unconscious and raping her.

“She pleaded with you and fought back bravely.”

Lord Ericht commended the woman for her bravery and praised all those who came to her aid following the attack.

The judge added: “This was a random attack involving extreme violence, a night of terror.”

Following Allan’s conviction, Police Scotland also praised the victim for her “strength throughout the investigation”.

Detective Inspector Mark Lambley added: “Kyle Allan is an extremely dangerous individual who attacked a woman in her own home.

“His actions were despicable and have had a profound effect on the woman.”