The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Earl of Strathmore jailed for sex attack
The Earl of Strathmore has been jailed for carrying out a violent sex attack on a woman who was staying at his Glamis Castle home.
Simon Bowes-lyon, the Queen’s cousin twice removed, drunkenly groped the woman and pushed her on to a bed after forcing his way into her room at the 16,500-acre estate.
His victim repeatedly ordered the 34-year-old, known as “Sam”, to leave the room but he refused.
It was revealed yesterday that the woman still suffers from nightmares as a result of Bowes-lyon’s attack.
The wealthy laird has now been locked up for 10 months and placed on the sex offenders register for the next decade.
Sheriff Alastair Carmichael ruled that only a prison sentence could mark the gravity of the attack.
He told Bowes-lyon at Dundee Sheriff Court: “The amounts of force, aggression and persistence that you used are concerning.
“The seriousness of this sexual assault takes it over the custodial threshold.
“The sentence must reflect the gravity of this crime, the need for punishment and the need to express society’s disapproval.”
The woman was a guest at the castle for a PR event in February last year.
Bowes-lyon showed off his Jaguar F-type to the woman and guests were treated to helicopter rides and gin tastings in the grounds.
The court heard that the woman went to bed around 11.30pm and was woken in the early hours by a drunken Bowes-lyon.
“She did not do or say anything that inferred she had any interest in him sexually or otherwise,” fiscal depute Lynne Mannion said previously.
“At 1.20am, the complainer was asleep in bed and was awoken by knocking at the door.
“She heard the accused say ‘It’s Sam, it’s important, please let me in’.
“The accused pushed his way in and pushed her on the bed. He was very drunk and smelled strongly of cigarettes.”
Mrs Mannion said Bowes-lyon had grabbed the woman’s breasts and tried to lift up her nightdress.
“She repeatedly asked him to leave but he refused,” she added.
“She went to the bathroom to try to close the door but the accused followed her and lit a cigarette.
“She slipped past him and went back into the room but he pushed her against a wall.”
Bowes-lyon then touched the woman indecently before she escaped his clutches and tried to call her boyfriend.
However, the poor mobile phone signal meant she could only make Whatsapp calls.
Bowes-lyon repeatedly refused to leave and made explicit comments.
After the woman told him to “f*** off”, Boweslyon said she was a “rude, mean, bad and horrible person”.
A fellow guest later found the woman visibly shaken and Bowes-lyon initially denied the incident.
He then sent an email to the same guest that included an apology he wanted passed on to the woman.
Police were later contacted and Bowes-lyon, who told officers he was a farmer, gave a “no comment” interview.
Defence counsel John Scott QC said his client had undergone counselling in order to address his behaviour and had expressed “regret” and “shame” for his conduct.
He said: “The accused underwent specialist counselling because he too has been troubled by the way he behaved which is entirely out of character.
“The report goes into some detail about a community payback order and it’s that disposal that I suggest would be appropriate here.
“He did something very bad and is deeply sorry for it. He has sought to address that himself and now under the supervision of the court he is in a position to be monitored.”
Prior to jailing Boweslyon, Sheriff Carmichael said: “It is clear from the agreed narrative that, whilst the complainer had spoken to you during this event, she had no sexual interest in you and had done nothing that could reasonably have been interpreted by you to the contrary.
“Throughout all of this she made it clear that she wanted you to stop. She told you repeatedly that she had a boyfriend, repeatedly told you to leave and repeatedly had to keep pushing you away from her. All of which you ignored.
“Once she’d finally managed to eject you from her bedroom, you returned to the door and pleaded with her to let you back in.
You were drunk. The assault and your refusal to leave spanned 20 minutes.
“This is a serious sexual assault. I will take account of the mitigations that were put forward on your behalf when fixing the level of sentence.
“I will also take account of your plea of guilty which has removed the need for a trial, and has meant that the complainer did not have to go through the experience of giving evidence.”
Bowes-lyon, of Glamis Castle, pled guilty on indictment to sexually assaulting the woman at the castle by repeatedly pushing her on to a bed, forcibly grabbing her breasts, trying to pull up her nightdress, pushing her against a wall, touching her indecently and trying to kiss her.