A former restaurant boss who preyed on two teenage girls and molested them as they slept will spend Christmas behind bars after he instructed solicitors to have his bail withdrawn.
Predator Thomas McPhee subjected his young victims to a harrowing four-year campaign of sexual abuse at locations in Auchterarder and Perth, while he was working at the Gleneagles Hotel.
Perth Sheriff Court heard the 56-year-old, who went on to be head chef and manager at the Red Brolly Inn, Ballinluig, caused “significant and lifelong” impact to his young victims.
McPhee, of Caledonian Road, Perth, was due to be sentenced on Thursday, having earlier pled guilty to four counts of historic indecent assault during the 2000s.
His solicitor David Holmes said a pre-sentencing report had not been completed in time for the hearing and asked for his client to be locked up while sentence was deferred into the new year.
McPhee, who made headlines when he welcomed boxing champ Tyson Fury to his bistro, is already on the sex offenders register.
Mr Holmes said: “Mr McPhee had been in contact with the social work department and they had one appointment but I understand that due to pressures of business it was not possible to complete his report.”
He said: “Mr McPhee had planned to have all matters in place by today.
“As a result, my instruction is to ask the court not to continue bail and have Mr McPhee in custody for the reports to be completed.”
Mr Holmes added: “Given the nature of the charge, he anticipates that her ladyship may feel obliged to impose a custodial sentence.”
Sheriff Jennifer Bain told McPhee: “I see that a report has not been prepared, through no fault of yours.
“For that reason I have to defer matters and I will withdraw bail.”
McPhee, who attended court with a bag of his belongings, will be brought back for sentencing in February.
‘You can’t stop me now’
The court previously heard how McPhee – who no longer works in the restaurant trade – crept into his first victim’s room when she was aged between 15 and 18.
She “froze” and pretended to be asleep when he climbed into bed with her.
He then subjected her to about four minutes of abuse, reaching his hand down her trousers.
McPhee simply walked out when he was interrupted by a knock at the door.
The same teenager was molested again, after falling asleep on a couch.
She woke to see McPhee lying on top of her “simulating sexual intercourse”.
After about two minutes, he stumbled away without saying a word.
McPhee targeted his second victim when she was 16 and he was 38.
He climbed into her bed, groped her breast and kissed her neck.
On another night, he put his hands into her underwear and digitally penetrated her.
When she struggled to get away, he told her: “You can’t stop me now.”
He said that if she screamed, she “would get kicked out”.
Years later, the two survivors met in Inverness and discussed reporting McPhee to police, without disclosing the details of what he had done to them.
McPhee was arrested after attending for an interview at Dundee police station.
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