A worker at a Highland Perthshire holiday park who made inappropriate advances towards girls as young as 14 has been placed on the sex offenders register.
Derek Marsh targeted the youngsters while working as a barman and repairman at the Tummel Valley Holiday Park near Pitlochry.
He only narrowly escaped a prison sentence after attempting to put the blame for the offences on the young women themselves.
Marsh, 44, claimed he had been afflicted by cabin fever, having spent the summer living in a caravan on the site, and had been led on by the girls, whom he had believed to be older.
He made a series of suggestive comments to the girls who were, in fact, aged just 14 and 15 over a period of four months.
On one occasion, Marsh served one of the girls juice in the holiday destination’s bar only to drop the money she had given him.
When she asked him why he had done so quite deliberately, he told the girl it was so that he could see her bend over.
On another occasion, he invited one of the girls to his caravan with the promise that he would show her that he was “not gay”.
Perth Sheriff Court heard that Marsh fondled the breasts of one of the underage girls, made inappropriate remarks to them detailing his previous sexual relationships, commented on their appearance and urged them to wear skimpy outfits.
He also asked one girl to leave him her underwear as “a going-away present” an incident that she, like the other girl, kept quiet about, despite its unsettling impact on her.
The seedy barman’s conduct only came to light when he posted a message to one of the girls on Facebook.
It was spotted by her parents, who finally brought his actions to the attention of the police.
Unemployed Marsh, who now lives with his parents in Hopetoun Place, Glasgow, appeared for sentencing on Wednesday, when Sheriff Lindsay Foulis described his actions and his lack of contrition as “concerning”.
He fined Marsh £1,500 and ordered him to pay one of his victims a further £500 in compensation.
He also made Marsh subject to the sex offenders register regulations for the next five years and banned him from working at or visiting any holiday park or campsite frequented by women under the age of 16 for the same period.
“These matters are serious and they are concerning, not least because one of the charges covers a period of four months,” he said.
“This was not a one-off. There is also an attempt by you to deflect blame from yourself and place it upon the girls, who were both under 16.”
He added: “I don’t say this in any way as criticism of the girls, but sometimes girls under the age of 16 can behave in a silly manner.
“In such circumstances, someone in his 40s should recognise that and behave accordingly. You most certainly did not behave accordingly.”
Marsh admitted making sexually explicit comments to teenage girls on dates between May 1 and September 9 last year.