A serial rapist has been convicted after targeting four women over a four-year period.

Scott Pollock, 28, told a court six women had conspired against him in a bid to wrongly smear him as a sexual predator.

He told jurors at the High Court in Edinburgh he had no other idea why the women claimed he had raped them.

Each of the women, who cannot be named for legal reasons, gave similar accounts how he targeted them and jurors convicted Pollock of rape and sexual assault charges.

He wept as judge Lord Ericht told him he was being put on the sex offenders register.

Lord Ericht told jurors: "You have carried a heavy responsibility in what has been a serious case."

Pollock, of Headlesscross Farm, Bathgate, West Lothian, was found guilty after a week-long trial.

Prosecutors claimed he had raped and sexually assaulted six women at various locations in West Lothian between May 2007 and June 2011.

The jury returned verdicts of rape and sexual assault between March 2008 and December 2012 with regard to four of the complainers in the case.

During proceedings, one of Pollock's alleged victims claimed she had been attacked by him shortly after her 16th birthday in the summer of 2007.

She told the court Pollock detained her in his car against her will and drove her to a remote rural location near Livingston in West Lothian.

He then sexually assaulted her in his vehicle before taking her to Bathgate, jurors heard.

She told the court: "He started talking to me about important sex was. I felt scared and awkward. I felt tense, really tense. I was scared.

"He drove me back to Bathgate. I didn't want him to know where I stayed. So I asked him to drop me in a car park."

Pollock chose to give evidence and during cross-examination, prosecution lawyer Alex Prentice QC asked: "Would you consider yourself a caring and considerate man? Someone who has respect for a woman?"

Pollock replied: "yes."

Mr Prentice then said: "Do you ask the ladies and gentlemen to form the view of you that you are a caring and loving man and that it is just unfortunate that six people came along to this court and told wicked lies about you?"

He replied: "Yes."

Mr Prentice then asked: "Do you suggest that they conspired together?"

Pollock replied: "Yes."

The prosecutor then asked: "All of this great conspiracy to have you convicted of serious crimes?"

Pollock replied: "Yes."

Mr Prentice then asked: "Why on Earth would they do that?" Pollock replied: "I don't know. They're jealous."

The jurors dismissed Pollock's claims and returned guilty verdicts.

Lord Ericht continued bail for Pollock and deferred sentence for the court to obtain reports about the rapist's character.

Pollock will be sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh on July 29, 2016.