MAN‘CREPT UP ON 8 WOMEN’
Alleged victims were on rural lockdown walks
A man is to face trial accused of hiding alongside country lanes, footpaths and cycle tracks and sneaking up on women taking their coronavirus daily exercise.
Mark Russell is alleged to have sometimes hidden in bushes alongside paths in the Hillfoots, stepping out when his alleged victims passed by.
A total of seven women are said to have been targeted by Russell since the Covid-19 outbreak began.
An eighth woman is said to have been followed in the run-up to the crisis.
He denies all allegations, said to have taken place at different spots along paths in the Hillfoots in Clackmannanshire and on the West Fife Way cycle route from Clackmannan to Dunfermline.
Russell, 32, is accused of behaving in a threatening and abusive manner likely to cause a reasonable person fear and alarm in the case of all eight alleged victims by “maintaining unnecessarily close proximity” to them.
The most recent alleged incident is said to have taken place
on May 7 on the old Clackmannan to Dunfermline railway line bike path, where Russell is said to have concealed himself in bushes before staring at and pursuing two women passers-by, “knowingly failing to observe Government Covid-19 social distancing guidelines” while doing so, and then returning to conceal himself in bushes.
It is alleged that in committing this offence he breached an undertaking he had previously given to police to stay away from “cycle paths, nature trails or secluded areas that could be construed as popular walking routes by the public”.
He is alleged to have pursued and maintained unnecessarily close proximity to two women on National Cycle Route 767 between Dollar and Tillicoultry on March 11 and April 1 - in the latter, knowingly failing to observe coronavirus social distancing.
On April 11 he is said to have pursued a woman closely, failing to observe social distancing on Back Road, Menstrie and similarly pursued another woman on a public footpath between Back Road, Dollar and Harviestoun Home Farm on April 21.
On May 3 he is said to have pursued a woman on a public footpath between Devonknowes Farm, Coalsnaughton and Dollar, then concealed himself in bushes, then pursued her again, knowingly flouting social distancing.
The earliest alleged incident is said to have taken place prior to the pandemic, between December 1, 2019 and January 19 this year when he is alleged to have “concealed himself in a country lane” at Back Road, Menstrie, stepped out when a woman was passing, and followed her closely.
Appearing in handcuffs in the dock at Falkirk Sheriff Court on Wednesday, Russell, of Curlers Court, Dollar, pleaded not guilty to all eight charges against him.
His lawyer Dick Sandeman, said Russell would agree to comply with a midday-tomidnight curfew if granted bail.
Sheriff Craig Harris set trial for September 9 at Alloa Sheriff Court, and released Russell on bail, subject to the agreed curfew.
He also ordered Russell to attend any identification parades required by police, at no less than 72 hours notice.