African soldier accused of Perth club sex assaults

A member of the Botswana Army has appeared in court accused of sexually assaulting two women at a Perth nightclub.

Bushy Ntebele, 33, denies touching the women at the Loft on December 20.

It is alleged he stuck his hand up the skirt of one woman and touched her bottom and that he repeatedly touched the bottom of another.

At Perth Sheriff Court on Monday, depute fiscal Robbie Brown asked Sheriff William Wood to consider confiscating Ntebele’s passport to prevent him leaving the country ahead of his trial.

Solicitor Rosie Brown, representing Ntebele, said that while he was welcome to stay at an address in Perth, he was due to return to work with the army in his home country in January.

She said Ntebele had arrived in the UK on November 8 and had been visiting Aberdeen with his wife and child, who have since returned to Botswana.

Ntebele was due to return in January but changed his flight to December 24 and made a stop-off in Perth.

Sheriff Wood decided not to ask Ntebele, of no fixed abode, to surrender his passport.

However, the sheriff warned him that if he did not return for his trial he would face arrest should he ever try to re-enter the UK.