The Scotsman

DJ sexually assaulted three teens at birthday party

- By ALEXANDER LAWRIE

An NHS radiograph­er sexually assaulted three teenage schoolgirl­s as he moonlighte­d as a DJ at an 18th birthday party.

Jamie Maclennan attacked the girls, including a 15-yearold, at the birthday party at a miners’ club.

Maclennan, 25, lured the youngest victim to an isolated toilet cubicle at the back of the stage and forced his hands down her pants.

A second girl, aged 17, was also assaulted by Maclennan during the party when he grabbed her arms and forced himself on her.

He also slapped the bottom of third 17-year-old schoolgirl after she had asked him to pay her favourite song during the dance at Macmerry Miners Club, in Macmerry, East Lothian.

Maclennan, from Larbert, near Falkirk, had claimed he had consensual­ly kissed two of the girls during the evening but denied assaulting them at the party in April last year.

But Maclennan, who was restricted to non-clinical duties at Edinburgh’s Western General Hospital following his arrest, was found guilty of all three sex assaults following a five-day trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last week.

All three teenagers gave their evidence to a closed court.

Maclennan told the court the 15-year-old girl had come on to him by “dancing provocativ­ely” in front of him while he was on the decks and that the pair had engaged in “flirtatiou­s banter” during the evening.

He also admitted taking scores of selfies with the youngest girl while on stage and claimed he thought she was 17 years old. But prosecutor Kim Schofield said: “You took advantage of your position. You were a DJ at an 18th birthday party and you are 25.

“You lured her down a corridor on the pretence of giving her a business card. You took her in to one of the toilets and stopped her from leaving.

“You forced yourself on her, you kissed her and she repeatedly tried to push you off.”

A witness told the court she saw the 15-year-old flee back down the corridor in floods of tears following the attack.

Following the party all three girls made complaints to the police of being sexually assaulted by Maclennan and he wasarreste­dthefollow­ing week. Sentence was deferred.

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