A serial sex offender has been convicted of terrorising two women who worked in an Angus bookmakers for more than a fortnight.
Gavin Ross stared into the Coral bookies in Forfar and played with his nipples, frightening staff so much one member was relocated to work at another store.
After being remanded, Ross saluted Sheriff William Wood and said: “I couldn’t give a f*** man.”
Ross, who was once jailed for dancing at the side of the A90 with his trousers around his ankles, was found guilty of acting in a threatening or abusive manner between September 6 and 24 last year.
Bizarre acts caught on camera
Jurors unanimously agreed the Perth Prison inmate Ross – formerly of Inveraldie, Tealing, Angus – repeatedly visited at the Castle Street shop, loitered outside and refused to leave despite being asked to do so on numerous occasions.
They also agreed that while outside the shop, Ross stared into the premises, waved and made inappropriate gestures to the employees and played with his nipples.
He rubbed and seized his nipples above his clothing and rubbed his chest.
However, the majority of jurors found an alternative charge of stalking to be not proven and rejected allegations of other actions he was accused of carrying out while standing outside the shop.
The jury was shown CCTV of the street outside the branch.
DC Stephen Jenkins of Police Scotland explained he had trawled through all the footage and spotted Ross, usually on his bike, on six or seven days, sometimes outside the bookies “several times a day”.
One female employee who was stared down by the accused said she felt “uncomfortable” and “uneasy” and said “I began to feel on edge,” and “it was a very stressful time”.
A second complainer told the court said she was disgusted and found his behaviour intimidating.
She said she did not want to work alone in the shop.
Ross made a habit of attending when the women were working alone and one woman moved to another branch to escape him.
Neither women knew Ross and both had first spotted the 41-year-old picking up cigarette butts outside the store and became so alarmed by his behaviour, they raised the issue with their manager.
Past crimes
After the jury returned its verdict, Perth Sheriff Court was told Ross is already on the Sex Offenders Register and will remain there until at least 2028.
However, it was not established this week whether or not his actions had a “significant sexual element,” – the threshold at which he would be subject to notification requirements.
The sheriff ordered a social work report to be completed ahead of sentencing on August 4.
Earlier this year, Ross was jailed again after he exposed himself to a female prison warden at HMP Perth.
In August 2016, Ross was ordered to carry out unpaid work after admitting throwing a bottle and brick at traffic on the A90 before walking into the path of oncoming vehicles.
