A Fife man accused of exposing himself to motorists on the A9 and M90 has walked free from court after the Crown case against him collapsed.
Plant operator Paul Connor denied allegations he stood in lay-bys and flashed at three passing drivers on the morning of August 1 2022.
It was alleged the 56-year-old had exposed his naked penis “in a sexual manner” and gyrated it towards one woman on the A9 between Perth and Luncarty.
He was further accused of exposing himself to another woman at the same location.
Mr Connor faced a third charge of exposing himself and masturbating towards a male witness between junction nine and 10 of the M90, on the same morning.
The three witnesses told Perth Sheriff Court they saw a naked man at the roadside as they travelled to work just before 6am.
One woman said the man maintained eye contact as he was “gyrating” and “waggling his bits” in her direction.
Another told the trial she saw a naked man “laughing” while he clutched his penis.
None of the witnesses could identify the man or say if it was Mr Connor, who was sitting in the dock.
Police secured CCTV footage from a passing bus, of a silver Land Rover Freelander in a layby on the A9 but they could not establish if it was the accused’s vehicle.
After three days of evidence, solicitor David Holmes successfully argued there was no case to answer against his client.
Insufficient evidence
Sheriff William Wood told Mr Connor: “I have been asked to decide whether there is a sufficiency of evidence.
“The question at this stage is not whether I find the witnesses credible and reliable, it is whether enough evidence has been produced to find you guilty of these charges.
“While it is true to say that some parts of the evidence may suggest that it was you that was involved in this conduct, I am not satisfied that the evidence is sufficient enough to allow me to conclude that this is a case that ought to go forward.”
He found Mr Connor, of Methil, not guilty of all charges.
Mystery man
During the trial, a woman told the court she saw a man in his 50s,standing naked in a layby, clutching his penis and laughing.
The 34-year-old hairdresser said she had been driving to a friend’s house “for a work out,” at around 5.45am on August 1 2022.
She was travelling south through a temporary 40mph section when she spotted the man in a layby on the northbound carriageway.
“The gentleman was fully naked,” she said.
“I didn’t really see what he was doing but he had hold of his private parts.”
Asked by fiscal depute Elizabeth Hodgson if the man was nude from head to toe, the witness replied: “I can’t confirm if he had shoes or socks on.”
She added: “I was taken aback. I was definitely shocked.
“As an adult I just kind of laughed at it but if there was children in the car I would have felt differently.”
The woman tried to phone 101 on her hands-free Bluetooth device but gave up when the automated operator could not recognise her location.
She told the trial she reported the incident to police after reading an appeal for witnesses in The Courier.
‘Caught my eye’
On the first day of the trial, a 48-year-old woman told of seeing a naked man by the roadside as she travelled to work along the A9.
“He walked around the front of a silver vehicle and he began gyrating and waggling his bits directly at me,” she said.
“It was the movement that caught my eye – and the fact he wasn’t wearing anything.”
A male witness said he saw a naked man on the M90 around the same time.
The 37-year-old said: “He was masturbating while making eye contact.”
Asked by Mr Holmes if he had spotted a tattoo on his chest, the witness replied: “In all honesty, I wouldn’t have been focused on his chest area.”
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