A teenager has told a court she attempted to take her own life after being repeatedly sexually assaulted by an older colleague at a McDonald’s in Perth.
The young woman was one of three female employees tormented by Joshua McKeown in 2022.
Perth Sheriff Court heard how the victims were frequently molested as they worked in the kitchen and behind the counter.
The trial had to be halted when one witness broke down in tears as she told how McKeown had smirked at her after attempting to unclip her bra.
Another said she had to physically pry his hands off her waist.
McKeown, 28, denied any wrongdoing, claiming his victims, in their mid-teens at the time, had mounted a vendetta against him.
But the married father-of-two’s version of events was rejected by a sheriff following two days of evidence and he was found guilty of seven counts of sexual assault.
McKeown, of Rannoch Road, Perth, has been placed on the sex offenders register and will be sentenced in the new year.
Repeated touching
One victim told the court she was initially friendly with co-worker McKeown but became increasingly concerned about him touching her arm and shoulder.
His hands, she said, eventually moved to her waist, her bottom and her chest.
“This happened about two or three times a week,” she said.
“I would freeze. I didn’t know what to do.”
She said McKeown made “weird growling noises” through his headset and called her names like babe, honey and sexy.
“It made me really uncomfortable,” she said.
The victims reported the conduct to a supervisor who had – according to one witness – told them: “It’s just Josh being Josh.”
When they reported it to a more senior worker, an internal probe was launched and McKeown was suspended.
Asked by fiscal depute Stuart Hamilton what effect the offending had on her, she said: “After the investigations, I did try to kill myself and ended up in hospital.”
‘It makes your skin crawl’
Another witness said McKeown had hit her bottom as he walked past her.
“He looked back and smiled.
“I did think maybe it was an accident but when I saw him smiling I knew it wasn’t. I felt a bit gross.”
She said it happened “a couple of times a week – maybe more than once a shift”.
The woman wept as she told the court of another incident, which happened after she showed McKeown a tattoo at the top of her back.
“He moved my hand away and he took my top and pulled it.
“He started moving his hand down my back, towards my bra and then he goes to unclip it.”
The incident was interrupted by another worker entering the room.
“He (McKeown) looked back and smirked at me and walked away,” she said.
Asked how she felt, she said: “I can’t even explain. It was mostly shock, it makes your skin crawl.”
The third woman told of a time McKeown grabbed her by the waist.
“I physically had to pry his hands away,” she said.
“He didn’t say anything. It was an uncomfortable situation to be in.”
Laughed at allegations
When interviewed by police, McKeown laughed as officers read out the allegations against him.
“These girls have clearly sat down together and come up with what they were going to say,” he told investigators.
“I have not done any sexual orientations to any of these girls.”
He added: “It’s a joke to be honest. It’s waste of the police’s time and it’s a waste of my time.”
In court, McKeown – who now works in the construction industry – said he left McDonald’s on his own accord, “under advisement of the store manager”.
Asked why he laughed the police officer’s questions, he said: “I found it funny that I was getting accused of something that could hurt my family.”
In his closing submission, Mr Hamilton said: “There was nothing for them to gain by doing this as some sort of vendetta.”
Sex offenders register
McKeown was found not guilty of three allegations of causing his victims to “hear sexual verbal communication without their consent”.
Sheriff Gilchrist told him: “This is a matter of credibility and who I believe and I have to say I believe the three girls.
“Nothing in their demeanour or manner caused me any doubt.
“I simply do not believe there was a vendetta. I don’t believe they were making this up.”
McKeown will return to court for sentencing next month when he will find out how long he must be subject to sex offender registration.
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