The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Earl denied his freedom
Acousin of the Queen who was jailed last month for a sex attack on a guest at his castle has been denied bail to appeal his jail sentence.
Simon Bowes-lyon, 34, is serving 10 months for pushing his way into a 26-year-old woman’s room during a promotional weekend he was hosting at Glamis Castle, Angus, in February 2020.
He pleaded guilty to a sexual assault charge before Sheriff Alastair Carmichael at Dundee Sheriff Court earlier this year.
Sheriff Carmichael told Bowes-lyon – who is the Queen’s first cousin twice removed – that his victim still suffered nightmares as a result of the assault.
Placing him on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years, he said Bowes-lyon had repeatedly ignored his victim’s pleas during the attack.
The sheriff said: “Even now – one year on – she still, occasionally, has nightmares and feels panicked because of being sexually assaulted by you.
“This has also had an impact on her emotional wellbeing.”
He said that the sentence “must reflect the gravity of the crime” and that a community disposal “would not meet these requirements”.
The court was told previously that Boweslyon repeatedly assaulted the victim and tried to pull off her nightdress during the 20-minute attack.
The court heard that the woman fled the castle the morning after the attack on February 13, 2020 and flew home to the London area to report the matter to police.
Passing sentence, Sheriff Carmichael said the attack on the woman was so serious that there was no alternative to a custodial sentence.
Lawyers acting for the Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne failed in a bid to secure bail for him following a short virtual hearing yesterday.
John Scott QC appeared on Bowes-lyon’s behalf during the hearing.
Sources close to Boweslyon, a great, great-nephew of the late Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, says he is planning to appeal his sentence later this year.
A source close to the family told the Times newspaper last Saturday: “This is not about overturning the conviction, he pleaded guilty.
“However, normally, in relatively short sentences, there is a presumption that if non-custodial alternatives are available they should be the first port of call.”