The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Teacher guilty of sexual assault at church concert COURT: Man groped woman at Salvation Army event
A Tayside teacher has been placed on the sex offenders register after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman at a Salvation Army concert.
Dean Bromage was convicted of groping the woman between May 2018 and February 2019 in two separate incidents, following a four-day trial spanning several months. Dundee Sheriff Court heard how the 35-year-old touched the woman between her legs during a performance in Edinburgh and on another occasion he touched her breast ahead of a concert in Aberdeen. The complainer said she initially believed married Bromage, pictured, of Fotheringham Drive in Monifieth, had been removing “fluff” but later realised his motives were more sinister. He denied all the allegations against him and said his accuser was committing perjury. But Sheriff John Rafferty found the woman’s evidence to be credible and reliable.
He said: “With reference to the Aberdeen incident, the defence say the activity was not sexual. I find it incredible a man would choose to brush his hand across a young girl’s breast for an innocent purpose.”
ATayside teacher has been placed on the sex offenders register after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a young woman at a Salvation Army concert.
After a trial that ran over four days but spanned several months, Dean Bromage was convicted of groping the woman between May 2018 and February 2019 in two separate incidents.
Dundee Sheriff Court heard how Bromage had leaned back and touched the woman between her legs during a performance in Edinburgh before saying she “probably enjoyed it”.
On another occasion, Bromage touched the woman’s breast while she was warming up her instrument ahead of a concert in Aberdeen.
In evidence, the complainer said she initially believed married Bromage had been removing “fluff” from her but later realised his motives were more sinister.
Bromage, 35, denied all of the allegations against him and claimed his accuser was committing perjury during the trial.
However, Sheriff John Rafferty found the woman to be credible and reliable, saying: “With reference to the Aberdeen incident, the defence say the activity was not sexual but an effort to remove fluff from her top.
“There’s no evidence of fluff.
“The accused never suggested he did it to remove fluff.
“(The complainer) indicated she checked herself in the mirror beforehand and saw no fluff.
“The complainer gave evidence that nothing was said during this incident.
“I find it incredible a man several years older would choose to brush his hand across a young girl’s breast for an innocent purpose.”
In her evidence, the woman said of the Aberdeen incident: “He came up to me and he brushed his right hand over my chest. He didn’t say anything.
“I was very confused and I didn’t really know what had happened.”
Bromage, of Fotheringham Drive in Monifieth, claimed he could not remember the incident in Edinburgh.
A family friend and senior member of the Salvation Army band claimed Bromage was falling after swinging on a chair and “propped himself” onto the girl before making the “flippant” remark.
Bromage previously claimed he had issues with people’s “personal space” and if he did touch the woman he would have made a “funny comment about it”.
The complainer said: “Mr Bromage leaned back to pass a message to those who were in the band.
“He leaned back into line and as he did so, he ran his hand up between my legs.
“I stepped away before he could go any higher.
“It was going up my leg. It was not appropriate at all.
“It was unwanted sexual touching. I was outraged.
“He leaned in and said: ‘Sorry, that was an accident – but you probably enjoyed it.’
“I was further outraged. How dare he say something like that?”
The woman came forward about her experience with Bromage after reading how he was cleared by a jury in 2021 of engaging in sexual activity with pupils at a school in Fife. Bromage was acquitted at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court in that case and was described as being a “maverick” teacher as opposed to a criminal.
Bromage was convicted at Dundee Sheriff Court of sexually assaulting the woman at the Salvation Army Halls on Castle Street, Aberdeen and on Gorgie Road, Edinburgh.
Sentence was deferred until next month for social work reports to be prepared.
Bromage is now subject to the terms of the sex offenders register.
He was found not guilty of a separate charge of exposing himself to a young girl in St Andrews and Dundee between 2008 and 2010.