A landlord who sexually assaulted one of his female tenants has been spared a jail sentence.
Popinder Pol Jassal, 60, of William Street, was placed under supervision on a community payback order for 18 months and told to attend the Tay Project.
Dundee Sheriff Court heard that Jassal, who along with his brother owns a number of properties across the city, went round to the woman’s flat claiming he was going to measure up for a set of curtains and told her it was “love at first sight” before trying to kiss her and then groping her.
He then told her he wanted to see her nipples, so he could compare them to those of women in a porn movie he had been watching.
Jassal was told he had faced a potential jail term after admitting the charge but Sheriff Kenneth McGowan placed him on the community order, telling him: “This is to ensure you don’t relapse and offend again.”
Jassal admitted that at a house in Dundee, between August 3 2012 and June 28 last year, he sexually assaulted a woman, entered her property uninvited, made inappropriate sexual remarks to her, attempted to kiss her, touched her on the buttocks over her clothing, touched her breasts over her clothing without her consent.
The court heard Jassal’s victim had rented a property from him in August last year and that shortly after he had attended to resolve small issues with the flat.
Thereafter he visited the property repeatedly, claiming he needed to resolve issues or make alterations, and often asked for hugs.
The woman thought that was just part of his character. But on one occasion Jassal asked if she would come to his house for drinks, mentioning something about love at first sight to her.
She declined, telling him she wanted nothing more than a strict landlord-tenant relationship with him and told a friend that the incident had made her feel “uncomfortable”.
Depute fiscal Nicola Gillespie told the court that Jassal went to the flat on June 28 this year claiming to need to measure a window for curtains and the woman let him inside.
Jassal asked for a hug and the woman pulled away from him. However, he kept his hands on her waist and attempted to kiss her on the mouth.
“He put one hand up her back and another on her bottom and again mentioned something about love at first sight,” the fiscal said.
“He put his hand on her top and attempted to pull it up, mentioning something about her boobs.
“She managed to pull her top down and he touched one of her breasts over her clothing. She told him in no uncertain terms to leave.”
The court heard instead of leaving Jassal went to the kitchen and took a drink before coming back into the room and attempting to put his arm around her while asking to see her nipples.
Solicitor Ross Bennett told the court Jassal was married with five daughters and the case had had severe repercussions to his private and business life and had affected his standing in the Sikh community.
He said the woman had confided her medical problems to him and he had taken it further than he ought to have.
“Whether that was exacerbated by his bi-polar condition I don’t know but he behaved reprehensibly,” Mr Bennett added.
Sheriff McGowan said he went along with the advice of a social worker who suggested a community-based disposal.