The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)

Teenager who scared girls in toilets put on sex offenders register

17-year-old admits voyeurism and sexual assault of a 10-year-old

- SARAH VESTY svesty@thecourier.co.uk

A Fife teenager who filmed a 12-year-old girl on the toilet at a supermarke­t before sexually assaulting another youngster has been placed on the sex offenders register.

The 17-year-old, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court and admitted voyeurism and sexual assault charges.

The teenager followed a young girl into the toilets at the Halbeath Asda store in Dunfermlin­e on February 8 and filmed her on a mobile phone.

Depute fiscal Sarah Lumsden told the court: “The young girl was in a cubicle and was sitting with her leggings and pants down when she saw a hand holding a mobile phone over the partition wall.

“The girl shouted and the person rushed out of the adjacent cubicle.”

The matter was reported to the police who retrieved in-store CCTV footage from the time of the incident.

Investigat­ors were able to identify the teenager, whose accommodat­ion in Kirkcaldy was searched.

A 12-second video clip of the girl on the toilet followed by footage of the teenager running away were recovered when an iPad and a mobile phone were seized.

A second incident took place at Morrison’s store in Kirkcaldy March 4.

The court was told a 10-year-old girl had been inside the toilets while her father waited outside.

Miss Lumsden said: “The complainer’s dad then heard his daughter screaming and came running out of the bathroom, looking as if she was running away from someone.

“She explained that a crazy man with long hair was in the bathroom and had grabbed her face and pushed her into a cubicle, before demanding she take her trousers off.”

Police officers attended and found the accused inside the female toilets.

Defence solicitor Andrew Grieve said his client had been in the social care system from the age of three and has been actively engaging with mental health services.

Sheriff James Williamson placed the teenager on the sex offenders register and deferred sentencing for background reports.

She explained that a crazy man with long hair was in the bathroom and had grabbed her face and pushed her into a cubicle, before demanding she take her trousers off

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