A Perth clubber has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register for groping a woman at a city centre nightspot.
Lewis Macleod pled guilty to a sexual assault at The Loft on South Street.
The 23-year-old used social media to pursue his victim at the establishment before molesting her on the dance floor, Perth Sheriff Court heard.
Staff intervened when they saw the woman slap Macleod across the face.
He was arrested after police reviewed the club’s CCTV.
Declined to give out her number
Fiscal depute Andrew Harding told the court: “At about 1.30am on September 10 2021, the complainer was with friends at the locus.
“The accused made remarks to her, such as ‘you’re gorgeous’ and ‘you’re stunning’.
“At about 2am, the accused approached the complainer on the dance floor and asked for her Instagram, Snapchat and phone number details.
“She declined to give this information but while he was with her, the accused managed to find her Instagram account.
“He sent her a friend request, which she declined.”
Mr Harding said: “She walked away and headed to the bar.
“The accused offered to buy her a drink, which she accepted.
“When she finished it, he offered to buy her another one, which she declined.
“But he bought her a drink anyway. She drank it at the bar with the accused.”
Staff intervened
The court heard the pair were later together on the dancefloor.
“The accused began getting close to her,” Mr Harding said.
“She was not concerned about his actions at that time.
“However, he then grabbed her buttocks several times.
“The woman reprimanded the accused and slapped him across the face.”
Staff ran across to intervene and break up the pair, the court heard.
The fiscal depute said a short time later the woman left the club and spotted Macleod outside.
“She challenged him about his behaviour,” said Mr Harding.
“This attracted the attention of police officers who separated the pair.
“The police were informed of what had taken place inside the club.”
Mr Harding said that the woman was described as “incoherent” and “under the influence of alcohol.”
She was collected from outside the club by her father.
Macleod was arrested after police reviewed The Loft’s CCTV.
He pled guilty to a charge of sexually assaulting the woman by repeatedly fondling her buttocks over her clothing.
Sheriff Mark O’Hanlon placed Macleod on the Sex Offenders Register and deferred sentence until next month.
Disorderly crowd
Macleod, of Belmont Park, was one of several supporters involved in violent scenes following St Johnstone’s 2021 Scottish Cup win
He was the third Saints fan convicted of being part of a mob at McDiarmid Park in May 2021.
He was among 30 supporters who gathered at the stadium to welcome players back after their historic double.
Macleod denied being part of the “disorderly crowd” that threw flares, smoke bombs and other pyrotechnics at police and security staff.
He claimed that while he was at the stadium, he was not causing any trouble.
After three days of evidence, he was found guilty of an alternative breach of the peace charge.
He was ordered to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work and placed on supervision for a year.
Macleod, who had been ordered to stay away from matches as part of bail conditions, was not issued with a football banning order.
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