A 20-year-old Fife man stole hundreds of pounds from an escort after paying her for sex.
Daniel McNeil had been boozing at a friend’s house in Methil and paid for an Uber to take the sex worker to the address he was at.
After sexual contact took place, McNeil became “unhappy” and took the money from the woman’s handbag before she left in a distressed state.
McNeil, of Castle Crescent, Kennoway, appeared at Dunfermline Sheriff Court to plead guilty to removing a handbag from the woman and stealing money from her.
The offence took place at an address in Memorial Road, Methil, on November 6 2023.
Axe allegations withdrawn
It had previously been alleged McNeil assaulted the woman, shouted and swore at her, brandished an axe at her, grabbed her handbag, and grabbed her phone from her and repeatedly struck it with an axe and robbed her of money. However, prosecutors accepted the deletions of all of these elements in the charge.
A not guilty plea was also accepted to a second allegation that McNeil had an axe – an offensive weapon – without reasonable excuse or lawful authority.
Fiscal depute Douglas Thomson told the court the woman was working as an escort and advertised her services online, including her mobile phone number.
McNeil was drinking at a pal’s home and, when the friend went to bed, he contacted the sex worker and arranged for her to travel to Methil to provide her services.
He paid for an Uber and she arrived around 5.40am.
On arrival the woman noted McNeil was under the influence but “money changed hands and sexual contact took place as agreed,” the fiscal said.
Victim was in distressed state
About half an hour later she put her clothes back on and made to leave.
The fiscal continued: “He became unhappy, took hold of her bag and removed a sum of cash she estimates to be around £500 or £600”.
The court heard that the woman’s phone was damaged during the incident and she needed a replacement device, though the SIM card was transferred to the new phone.
At the point the phone was damaged the woman picked up her bag and left the property.
The fiscal depute said the woman arrived in a “distressed state” at the home of a neighbour unknown to her and police were contacted.
McNeil was contacted by police later that day and he voluntarily attended the police station the next day.
He replied “no comment” to investigators’ questions.
Sheriff Susan Duff told McNeil that while the charge is “substantially reduced,” these were circumstances where a vulnerable female was alone in a house and this raises concerns.
The sheriff deferred sentence for background reports.
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