Assaulted woman as she slept

A man who groped a woman while she lay sleeping on the settee at her home in Blairgowrie has had his name added to the Sex Offenders’Register for nine months.

Fifty-year-old Scott Thoms, who had been drinking, will also be restricted to his home from 7pm to 6am for 14 weeks.

In addition, the accused, of Coldstream Avenue in Perth, will be supervised for nine months as an alternative to custody.

Sheriff Gillian Wade told him:“Sexual offending is intolerable and requires to be dealt with on the basis it’s a sexual offence.”

But she added:“This was a situational incident rather than one which you planned or are likely to repeat.

“That, however, doesn’t take away from the seriousness of such an incident.”

He admitted at Perth Sheriff Court that on December 8, 2019, at the house in Blairgowrie, he sexually assaulted the female while she was under the influence of alcohol by handling her thighs and private parts over her clothing.

A not guilty plea was accepted to a second charge of sexually assaulting the same woman on January 25, 2020, at the same address by removing her clothing while she was asleep, under the influence of alcohol and “bereft of her will.”

The court was told previously that the woman had been out drinking with friends in Blairgowrie and had gone home about 12.30am.

She was heavily intoxicated but remembered getting a duvet, taking off her shoes and jeans and going to sleep on the sofa.

She awoke some time in the early hours to discover a hand touching her.

Solicitor Pauline Cullerton said:“Clearly there was alcohol involved on the evening between both parties. “He accepts responsibility for the offence.”

A first offender, Thoms had been“going through a rather difficult time”and had turned to alcohol.

The lawyer added:“Things have settled down and he’s no longer consuming alcohol to the extent he was.”

An opportunity has arisen with Alyth Development Trust (ADT) for someone to train to become a grant writer.

The Trust, which was established in 2015, aims to raise, invest and distribute funds to benefit the community of Alyth and to make the east Perthshire town a great place to live and work.

A registered charity, ADT is responsible for distributing funding from the Tullymurdoch wind farm but also needs to raise additional funds both for itself and for other organisations in the town.

And the directors of the Trust are keen to hear from local residents who may be interested in the role.

Russell Willis Taylor is the Trust secretary.

She said: “This is a great opportunity for someone to gain on-the-job training and experience in this area.

“The part-time post will help build relationships between funding bodies and community groups in the area and we would be delighted if this opportunity could be offered to someone within a 25 mile radius of Market Square in Alyth.”

Interested applicants should write to: Russell Willis Taylor, Secretary, Alyth Development Trust on email rywtaylor@gmail.com.

Further information on ADT and its work, including the new role, can be found at www.lovealyth.org.uk