A Kirkcaldy man has denied being at the scene of flashing incidents across central Fife, despite detectives telling a trial of having “no doubt” he is the culprit.
Gavin Morrison claimed to have joined his family at a Halloween party the evening after returning by train from a work conference in Newcastle at the time one offence took place in 2018.
And he said he was with family and friends at Seafield beach during a separate incident in 2020.
However, he admitted he had left the group for a time to use the toilet at a nearby supermarket, estimating he was absent for around 45 minutes.
Photographs were taken at both gatherings but none featured Morrison.
A trial at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court heard he had made efforts to “retrace his steps” in relation to all ten incidents but was hampered by the fact he had deleted his Facebook account after being named online by one alleged victim’s family.
He said shoes seized by police on the basis he may have been wearing them at the time of an offence in July 2020 were actually bought in December – proven by emails confirming his order from Amazon.
Accused defends himself
Morrison, 44, is accused of ten offences dating back to 2015 and has been on trial since the start of last week.
Asked by defence agent Lewis Kennedy about his feelings on being accused, he said: “It’s hard to put into words – I’m angry.
“I think so much of this case is built on assumption.
“I have lots of feelings – fear, anger, frustration.
“I can completely understand why people would get angry about certain situations.
“I understand why people want to protect children.
“I think it’s shocking what I’ve been accused of.
“The incidents that happened…whoever did it deserves to be punished but I don’t know how anybody could could think that it would be me.”
He added: “If you spoke to anybody who knows me, they would say I’m not capable of anything like that.”
Challenged by fiscal depute Sarah Smith on whether 16 complainers, two detectives and mobile phone data were wrong, Morrison blamed “bad luck”.
He said “technology can’t be relied on 100%”, citing the Royal Mail Horizon scandal as proof.
CCTV reviewed
The court had earlier heard from police officers involved in the hunt for the flasher.
Police Scotland viewed CCTV of the alleged incident in an alley between two houses in St Kilda Place, Kirkcaldy on October 29, 2022.
This led to them reviewing other incidents as part of a wider investigation and they identified several pieces of footage of interest.
Detective Constable Martin Ronald was responsible for viewing the CCTV as part of Operation Lazuril – the quest to find the man responsible for sex offences over seven years.
He said after interviewing Gavin Morrison as a suspect for an alleged offence in Kirkcaldy in October 2022 he was confident he had the right man.
DC Ronald was tasked with reviewing footage after two teenage girls reported being targeted by a man in an alley off St Kilda Crescent.
He and his team later identified a number of pieces of footage from other alleged offences which they believe show the same individual.
‘No doubt’ over accused identity
DC Ronald said he had watched “countless hours” of CCTV footage during the investigation.
Asked if he had been able to identify the individual in the footage, he said: “Yes, Gavin Morrison.”
Asked how he knew, he added: “Having met Gavin Morrison, it’s the way he holds himself.
“His walk, his ears, the shape of his body, the shape of his head.
“That was the same male I’d been watching on CCTV.”
Asked if there was any doubt as to his identification, he said: “There’s no doubt in my mind that’s Gavin Morrison.”
The trial so far…
The trial has also heard from those alleged to be Morrison’s victims.
They include:
- A then-15-year-old left terrified by a masturbating man, naked except for sunglasses, a snood and shoes, who approached her at Rabbit Braes in July 2020;
- Two women who said they had, separately, been approached by a flasher in cowboy boots while walking to the shops in Kirkcaldy;
- A group of girls who stopped a man chasing youngsters on Halloween night in 2018, before fleeing in terror when they realised he was bottomless;
- A girl followed from a youth club in Cowdenbeath in June 2019;
- An 11-year-old, with her younger sister and a friend, who saw a masked man interfering with himself while watching them near a Kirkcaldy playpark in August 2021.
Some of the witnesses positively identified Morrison to police.
Morrison, of Citron Glebe, Kirkcaldy, is variously accused of exposing his penis, masturbating in front of victims, committing an act of public indecency and conducting himself in a disorderly manner.
All the offences are said to have taken place in Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath, from 2015 up until October 2022.
Morrison denies all the charges and the trial continues.
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