Cop admits five sex attacks on women clubbers
A POLICE officer has admitted sexually assaulting five women in a series of incidents on work nights out.
Ross Campbell, 44, yesterday pleaded guilty to the attacks at various venues in Aberdeen and Dundee between September 2019 and February 2020.
He also admitted groping one of the women after drinking alcohol on a train journey from Dundee to Aberdeen.
Campbell, who has been placed on the sex offenders register, was facing nine charges but his guilty plea was accepted by the Crown Office.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard how Campbell had been drinking on several nights out when he approached and touched the women inappropriately.
The court was told a male friend even sent him a message after one night out warning him ‘as a pal’ that ‘a few folk’ had said he was ‘awful handsy on the night out’.
Campbell replied: ‘I feel like s***. I was pretty wasted.’
The court heard he was a temporary sergeant at the time of the attacks. One woman was said to have felt ‘sad’ about what had happened as she had regarded him as a ‘friend’ and a ‘nice guy’.
Campbell, a first offender, admitted repeatedly approaching one woman from behind, seizing her body and striking her on the buttocks on September 19, 2019, at Club Tropicana in Aberdeen.
He also admitted that on ‘various occasions’ at Siberia in Aberdeen on December 5, 2019, he did ‘embrace’ another woman and ‘touch her on the body, utter a sexual remark to her, and handle and seize her buttocks’.
He made the woman feel ‘uncomfortable’ by saying: ‘I’d heard you were up for anything.’
He admitted similar offences at venues in Aberdeen and Dundee.
Campbell offered an ‘unreserved apology’ to all of his victims.
Sheriff Graham Buchanan deferred sentencing until next month for background reports and continued bail.
The court heard how one of the women felt Campbell was ‘unaware of what he was doing due to the level of intoxication’.
Superintendent Lorna Ferguson, of the Professional Standards Department, said: ‘The matter will be referred to the Deputy Chief Constable for Professionalism, Digital and Transformation for consideration.’