The allegations were only made public in January 2024 – a year and a half after Ross was reported to Police Scotland.

He was arrested and charged with sexual and communications offences in June 2022. He was released on an undertaking to appear in court that same month.

Ross has now been placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Faye Cook, of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), said Ross had carried out “deliberate and repeated acts of abuse against women over the course of a decade”.

She added: “This was sustained offending, which caused significant harm.

“As a police officer, he was in a position of trust. Instead of upholding the law, he chose to break it in a serious and persistent way.

“I would urge anyone affected by similar offending to come forward and report it.

“The Crown is committed to prosecuting those responsible for sexual and domestic abuse, regardless of who they are.”

Rape Crisis Scotland chief executive Alev Taylor said the police are “not immune” to having perpetrators in their ranks.

She said: “Choosing to report rape or domestic abuse is always a difficult decision, but it can be even more challenging in rural communities and when the perpetrator is a serving police officer.

“The way that the police respond to complaints of sexual violence and domestic abuse plays a huge part in whether survivors and the wider public trust them – even more so when the complaint is against someone who works in the police themselves.”