A Fife man has been found guilty of a series of flashing offences, where he repeatedly preyed upon young girls.
Mark Beveridge was found guilty after a seven-day trial at Dunfermline Sheriff Court.
For more than a year he indecently exposed himself to girls as young as 11, as they walked through Cowdenbeath.
He would appear next to the girls naked from the waist down and on one occasion chased after the terrified youngsters.
By his denials, Beveridge forced the girls to recall their ordeals in court. Some victims became very upset as they recalled the incidents behind screens.
Beveridge had previously been convicted of sexually assaulting a customer in a pet shop.
His flashing offences took place in Cowdenbeath over a period of more than a year, between July 2014 and December 2015. The girls were aged between 11 and 14 at the time.
Beveridge, 29, of Rae Street, Cowdenbeath, denied all the offences but the jury delivered guilty verdicts.
On July 23 2014 at Park Road and Farm Road, Cowdenbeath, he exposed his genitals in a sexual manner to girl then aged 11.
On July 23 2014, at Park Road and Farm Road, Cowdenbeath, he exposed his genitals in sexual manner to a girl then aged 13
On December 30 2014 at Rowan Terrace and Chapel Street, he exposed his genitals to two girls, then both aged 13, followed them while the lower half of his body was naked and exposed his penis to them.
It is also alleged that on the same day Beveridge then exposed his genitals in a sexual manner to two other girls, both aged 15, at the same location, following them with the lower half of his body naked.
On March 13 2015 at Blamey Crescent he exposed his genitals to a girl who was then aged 12.
On April 2 2015 at Craigbeath Court, he exposed his genitals to two girls both then aged 15.
On May 9 2015 at Blackburn Drive he intentionally exposed his genitals to girls then aged 13 and 14.
On July 23 2015 at Johnston Park and Southfield, he exposed his genitals in the presence of two girls aged 14.
On October 29 2015 at Leuchatsbeath Drive he exposed his genitals to two girls then aged 15.
A girl told the court she was walking past bushes with her friend, another young girl. “She said ‘look’. I saw a man beside the bushes and saw he had no trousers on. He didn’t say anything.”
Her friend grabbed her arm and they ran towards her house.
The girl broke down in tears. She was unable to come back to the witness box because she was too upset and she was excused by the sheriff.
Another witness, now 17, told the court about an incident on April 2 2015.
She went to a take-away in the High Street with a friend. It was “freezing” and they started walking back to her friend’s home.
On the way there they saw a man “touching himself with his trousers down”. He was only three to five feet away from them.
“He had his joggers down to his ankles and was touching himself,” she said. “I screamed and ran away.”
Another girl, now 17, said she was with a friend on the night of December 30 2014.
“I heard a rustle from the bushes then saw him right next to me,” she said.
He had a black bomber jacket on, Timberland boots and no trousers.
“What were you able to see?” asked depute fiscal Alex Piper.
“Everything,” she replied.
The girls started running away and the man started following them.
“How did you feel?” asked Ms Piper.
“Scared. I didn’t know what to do,” said the girl. “He started running past us. We ran back in the other direction then he ran back into the bushes.”
Sheriff Charles MacNair called for reports and deferred sentence until 24th April 24. Beveridge was placed on the sex offenders register.
In August 2015, Beveridge was put on a public protection order for sexually assaulting a female customer who came into his pet shop in Cowdenbeath High Street by placing his hand under her clothing and touching her buttocks. He was placed on a community payback order with 225 hours of unpaid work and compensation of £400.
