A chef at a top hotel, who repeatedly pinched the bottom of a female and made sexual comments to her, lost his job and yesterday ended up in the dock.
Rory Stewart had worked at the plush Garvock House Hotel in Dunfermline for 18 years.
Stewart, 40, of Fodbank View, admitted that between December 1 and 21 2014 at the Garvock House Hotel, St John’s Drive, Dunfermline, he engaged in a course of conduct which caused the woman fear or alarm by repeatedly pinching her on the bottom over her clothing and repeatedly uttering inappropriate remarks to her.
Depute fiscal Dev Kapadia told Dunfermline Sheriff Court that Stewart had worked at the hotel for 18 years when the course of conduct began to emerge.
He said: “The complainer was standing near a bench when she felt somebody touching her bottom and it seemed to be a deliberate act.
“She saw the accused was standing behind her.
“When she asked him if he had touched her he walked away.
“The same day she was leaning over a bench and the accused touched her again.
“This was repeated approximately two days later. ”
The woman sent a text message to Stewart telling him to stop touching her.
He replied that it would not happen again.
However, the woman then became a target of Stewart’s comments and suggestive sexual remarks about what he believed to be the conduct of young people.
“One of the employees who heard the comment told him he had gone too far and the complainer was seen to be upset by the comment,” said Mr Kapadia.
On another occasion, Stewart said to the woman that he knew she had sex the night before because: “I can see it in your face”, again causing her to be upset.
Defence agent Chris Sneddon said: “Witness statements from other people say they thought he was treating it as a joke.”
He added that after disciplinary proceedings had started, his client had resigned from the hotel and was now working elsewhere “in a much reduced role”.
Sheriff Craig McSherry deferred sentencing until July 8 for reports.