A SEX attacker who hit a woman's head against a rock at a beach and subjected her to a rape ordeal has been jailed.

Gary Wishart carried out the assault on his victim near to a popular holiday park in East Lothian before stealing car keys and a vehicle from a caravan site.

Wishart, 28, had denied assaulting and raping the 43-year-old woman on the beach near to Seton Sands Holiday Park, Links Road, Port Seton, on August 22, 2019.

During the attack on the victim, her head was repeatedly struck against a rock at the beach.

Wishart sat shaking his head in the dock after a jury found him guilty at the High Court in Edinburgh by a majority verdict of committing the sex crime.

A judge told the jurors that it was "a serious and in some ways rather distressing case".

Lord Tyre remanded Wishart, who had been on bail, in custody ahead of sentencing next month for the preparation of a background report and risk assessment.

READ MORE: Pensioner jailed after being caught with nearly 7,000 indecent images of children

Wishart, formerly of Roxburgh Place, Newton St Boswells in the Scottish Borders, had admitted stealing car keys and a car on August 22, 2019, and driving without insurance.

Wishart, who has previous convictions for fireraising and breach of the peace, also admitted failing to stop after colliding with parked vehicles and causing damage to them at Bath Street, Portobello, on the same date.

He was placed on the sex offenders' register and told that the length of his registration would be fixed at the sentencing hearing.