Drunk man (58) asked underage girl for sex during bus trip

A drunken 58-yearold Perthshire man propositioned a teenage girl on a late night bus – and offered her £100 if she had sex with him.

Despite being told by another passenger to “shut up”, Norman Hinks persevered with his unwanted advances.

He shouted: “If she wants a night of pleasure with me, then I can pay her.”

The terrified teenager, who can’t be named for legal reasons, left the bus in tears and contacted the police when she got home.

The alarming incident led to Hinks, of The Grove, Dalginross, Comrie, having his name added to the sex offenders’ register when he appeared at Perth Sheriff Court on Thursday last week.

He will discover how long it remains there when he returns for sentence on February 1.

Sheriff William Wood told him: “I can’t deal with this matter today because of the nature of this charge.”

He called for a social inquiry report and an assessment from the Tay Project, which aims to rehabilitate sex offenders, regarding the risk he posed to the public.

Hinks admitted that on September 2, while travelling on a bus between Comrie and Crieff, he repeatedly offered the teen money for sex and made inappropriate sexual remarks, to her fear and alarm.

Depute fiscal Tina Dickie said the incident took place on the No 15 Comrie-Crieff bus, which left Comrie at 10.10pm.

During the Friday evening the girl had travelled to Comrie to meet her boyfriend.

She went to get the bus back home at the stop outside the Post Office about 10pm.

“As they approached the bus stop they became aware of the accused who was staggering around the road and formed the impression he was drunk,” said Ms Dickie.

The accused also got on the bus, sitting in the same row as the victim, to her right side.

Other passengers were sitting directly behind her.

Shortly after the bus moved off, Hinks shouted: “Why is this girl alone? Why is this beautiful young girl alone? Why does she not have a boyfriend?”

The girl “felt uncomfortable” and put her music earphones in, despite being out of batteries, hoping it would stop him speaking to her.

But he then asked: “If I give you £100, will you have sex with me?”

The fiscal added “She was embarrassed and stared forward, thinking that would make him stop.”

Another man on the bus told the accused to leave her alone, adding: “She’s a bairn.”

Despite being challenged by another passenger, the accused repeatedly asked her to have sex with him.

“He kept coming out with phrases suggesting he would pay her for ‘a night of pleasure’,” added the fiscal.

Officers traced him at his home but he made no reply when cautioned and charged.

Solicitor Rosie Scott said her client had “no recollection” of what had taken place.

She reserved her plea in mitigation until the background report has been prepared.

Sheriff Wood said he wanted to determine what risk the accused posed to lone females before passing sentence. him - and set fire to both him and his home.

He also messaged his father, Michael Greer, saying that he intended to visit his home and then stab him and others and set fire to his flat.

Depute fiscal Carol Whyte said the accused’s brother first received a phone call from the accused about 11.15 on November 19.

The accused stated: “I’m going to come up and kick you in.”

A number of texts were then sent between 5pm and 11.15pm which the fiscal described as “fairly unpleasant.”

The first said: “I hope you f***ing die in hell.”

The second stated: “I hope you die in a burning house fire,” followed by another which read: “You are a fat b ***** d and you’re going to die once I kill you.”

The final text said: “I am going to set you alight - and I’ll be laughing.”

Two texts were also sent to Michael Greer, threatening to bomb his house.

On November 20, two further messages were sent by the accused to his father.

In one he threatened to steal a car and then “stab him in the neck”.

Greer was arrested after making the call to police that he intended to carry out the threats he had made to his father.

Solicitor Mike Tavendale said the accused “struggled” with the relationships with his father and brother and had difficulties coping on his own.

He described the exchanges between the accused and his brother as “more of a tit for tat”.

Passing sentence, Sheriff William Wood said: “It’s clear from the social work report you are a young man who has a number of troubles and difficulties which have to be addressed.”

There were also “unresolved areas of conflict” within the family which needed to be tackled.

But the accused told the sheriff: “I don’t speak to my father any more.”

The sheriff said that was “his choice” but he removed a special bail condition banning Greer from contacting his father and brother.

Greer was ordered to take part in the Right Track programme, designed to keep youngsters on the straight and narrow.

His progress will be monitored on April 12 next year. he was knocked to the ground and Terry Comiskey stamped on his right leg.

The bone was shattered and was sticking through the skin on the lower part of his leg.

Surgeons battled for three hours to save his leg and a metal rod and pins were inserted following two visits to the operating theatre at Dundee’s Ninewells Hospital.

But the father-of-two will be scarred for life and will “in all probability” be left with a limp.

Even if he makes the expected recovery, he won’t be able to return to full operational duties with the Met. Police in London, according to depute fiscal John Malpass.

Perth Sheriff Court was told on Tuesday last week that Mr Pain had been trying to calm things down after drunken Comiskey turned on the officer’s wife, Laureen, who is from the Blairgowrie area and also serves with the Metropolitan force.

Thirty-four-year-old Comiskey, of Ferguson Park Road, Rattray, will be sentenced on January 4 after a background report has been prepared.

But Sheriff Lindsay Foulis told him: “There’s no question of a community-based disposal in this case.”

The only reason for the deferral was to determine if the conditions for a supervised release order or an extended sentence could be met.

“You know as well as I do that a significant custodial sentence is going to be imposed,” added the sheriff.

“Unprovoked and frightening injuries have been caused as a result of your actions.”

Comiskey, a labourer, admitted that on October 23 this year, at Union Street, Blairgowrie, he repeatedly punched Mr Pain on his head and body, kicked him on his leg, knocking him to the ground, and then stamped on his leg, to his severe injury, permanent disfigurement and permanent impairment.

He also pled guilty to a second charge of fighting with Kieran Tainsh, shouting and swearing, making violent threats to others and committing a breach of the peace.

In 2007, Comiskey was jailed for 35 months for assault to severe injury and permanent disfigurement.

In March 2011, he was handed down a four-month custodial sentence for assault to severe injury and in June of the same year was given a Community Service Order for assault.

He has already spent 58 days in custody after appearing on petition on October 24 - and was again remanded following his appearance on indictment.

Mr Malpass told the court that between 1.30 and 2am on October 23 the accused, who was “heavily under the influence of alcohol,” encountered Mr Tainsh in Union Street.

Words were exchanged and both engaged in a fight.

That was witnessed by several people, including Gavin and Laureen Pain and Jamie McKinley.

Mr McKinley attempted to break up the fight and Mr and Mrs Pain also went to intervene.

The accused broke off from the fight and “took exception” to the intervention, shouting and swearing and making violent threats towards Mrs Pain.

As the accused moved towards her, Mr Pain “stood in front of the accused and attempted to calm him down”.

While he lay on the ground, Comiskey stamped on his leg, causing a compound displaced open fracture to his tibia.

“Paramedics attended to the complainer’s leg injury and removed him to hospital once the bleeding was stemmed.”

A series of gruesome photographs were submitted to the sheriff, showing the victim’s injuries in graphic detail.

“He is struggling with mobility and he has been informed that he will be left with impaired mobility in his leg and will, in all probability, when fully on his feet, be left walking with a limp,” explained the fiscal.

Defence solicitor David Holmes reserved his plea in mitigation until January 4. NewingDavis (47), of Tannoch House, Dunkeld Road, Bankfoot.

There were also 14,000 pages of documents associated with a catalogue of charges on the indictment, he told Perth Sheriff Court on Tuesday last week.

Mr Newing-Davis has denied nine charges of being concerned in the fraudulent evasion of VAT while acting as a director of Trainpeople. co.uk - a recruitment agency - and Ptarmigan Transport Solutions Ltd.

Mr Lafferty conceded that the proceedings had a “significant history” but said he was seeking a further adjournment.

Depute fiscal John Malpass said that if there was no agreement of evidence, the trial could last 10 days.

“An agreement of evidence could get the trial down to about three days,” he explained.

The accused, who previously ran Bankfoot Buses, has denied all of the VAT fraud charges, allegedly committed between March 3, 2010, and June 15, 2012.

He is accused of defrauding Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs out of a total of £387,027.61p.

The first charge alleges that on March 3, 2010, at his home and elsewhere in the UK, he was concerned in the fraudulent evasion of VAT amounting to £20,190.98p while acting as a director of the two businesses.

It is claimed that he submitted VAT returns for the period ending January 31, 2010, supported by documentation which he knew to be false, and thereby fraudulent evaded paying VAT in that sum.

Other offences, with the dates and sums he is alleged to have defrauded the Revenue - by the same means - are: June 2, 2010 (£31,500); September 7, 2010 (£45,991.52); June 7, 2011 (£38,496.83); June 7, 2011 (£38,000); July 7, 2011 (£48,040.16); January 24, 2012 (£47,430.42); March 16, 2012 (£54,880.24); and June 15, (£62,497.46).

Newing-Davis also pled not guilty to a 10th charge which alleged that he flouted a December 24, 2013, bail order from the Perth court by failing, without reasonable excuse, to appear at a hearing on August 12, 2014.

A further charge alleges that he again failed to turn up at the Perth court on July 28, 2015, again in contravention of the Christmas Eve, 2013, bail order.

Sheriff Lindsay Foulis said: “I suspect we may be looking at a special sheriff and jury sitting.”

He added that he wasn’t “setting himself ” against an adjournment but agreed to continue the case meantime to a further hearing on January 9.

Mr Newing-Davis had his bail continued meantime.