A Coupar Angus man has been convicted of a harrowing sex attack on a sleeping woman.
Mathew Mclean forced himself on his victim at a property in the east Perthshire town in 2019.
A jury heard how the 33-year-old “emphatically denied” the attack.
He claimed he had gone straight to sleep after drinking 10 pints of lager.
But following a four-day trial at Perth Sheriff Court, jurors took just under three hours to convict him of the single charge.
McLean, of Princes Croft, was placed on the sex offenders register and will be sentenced in the new year.
Victim was ‘incapable of giving consent’
Fiscal depute Duncan McKenzie had urged the jury to believe McLean’s victim who, he said, gave her evidence in a “clear and straightforward manner”.
The woman said she was sober when she fell asleep at the property.
In the early hours of May 11 2019, McLean placed his hands under her clothing, squeezed her breasts and grabbed her buttocks.
He then penetrated her with his fingers.
Court papers state the attack began “while she was sleeping and incapable of giving consent”.
McLean denied any such incident took place.
He claimed he went straight to bed after drinking 10 pints earlier that evening, plus “one or two” cans of lager just before going to sleep.
He insisted his recollection was not clouded by his alcohol consumption.
Sex attack claims by second witness
The jury heard from a second witness who told police Mclean had sexually assaulted her in 2011.
Mclean, who was never convicted of any related offence, claimed the sexual activity was consensual.
The witness was called by prosecutors to help corroborate the testimony of the victim of the 2019 assault, as part of a legal ruling known as “mutual corroboration”.
Following the jury’s majority verdict, defence advocate Duncan McPhie said he would reserve his plea of mitigation until sentencing.
Sheriff Alison McKay told McLean: “I am not in a position to move to sentence today.
“But as a result of your conviction today, you will be placed on what is colloquially known as the sex offenders register.”
As part of pre-sentencing preparations, McLean will be assessed as a possible candidate for the Tay Project sex offender rehabilitation scheme.
The court may also impose a non-harassment order to further protect McLean’s victim.
Jurors heard that McLean had previous convictions but “none relevant to this matter”.
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