Bizarre ‘banter’ led to girls’ kidnap fear

Room in the boot for you, driver told them

A driver scared two young girls by telling them he had “room in the boot” for them, a court heard.

Kevin Scott claimed his apparent threat was just banter and told police he thought the youngsters, aged 11 and 14, were about 19 years old.

But he conceded that the two pals might have taken fright because they thought he was trying to kidnap them.

Scott (31) was originally accused of attempting to abduct the youngsters in Bridgend on November 6 last year.

However, the Crown accepted his guilty plea to an amended charge of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner towards the pair.

Scott appeared for sentence at Livingston Sheriff Court on Thursday.

Sheriff Jamie Gilmour said the offence he had admitted was at the upper end of the scale for a breach of the peace.

He told Scott: “It shows a complete lack of insight into the possible effect this might have had on two young female individuals.

“I’m going to deal with it by imposing a community payback order rather than a custodial sentence.”

He placed Scott under social work supervision for 18 months and ordered him to carry out 220 hours of unpaid work within eight months under a community payback order.

Deborah Demick, prosecuting, said the 11-year-old saw Scott’s silver BMW approaching her at around 9pm.

The car stopped and he shouted “Hoi, girl” at her then got out of the car and started walking towards her.

He asked her what her name was and what football team she supported and she answered Celtic.

Miss Demick said: “Being in fear for her safety, she ran from him. The accused then shouted towards her: ‘There’s room in the boot for you.’

“She ran into a house and found her mother, who saw her daughter was extremely upset – so much so that when she ran into the living room she knocked over the TV.”

She said the girl and her mother then witnessed the accused shouting at a 14-year-old girl, who also began to feel fearful for her safety and ran into their front garden.

The two girls went out through back gardens to get away while the 11-yearold’s mother called the police.

Alan Jackson, defending, said Scott, of Scott Brae, Livingston, had stopped his car to fix an accelerator problem.

He admitted his client had been reckless about the effect his comments would have had on the young girls.

He added: “It’s a bit bizarre. He’s clearly failed to take into account the ages of the complainers.

“What he regarded as banter obviously could not be regarded as banter in the circumstances.

“Using empathy through the eyes of another, he was able to acknowledge the girls might have been scared.

“He indicates that at the time of this incident he was a bit stressed and reacted inappropriately.”