A pensioner has admitted sexually assaulting a young girl while she slept in her family home.
Harold Rattray crept into the child’s bedroom in Perthshire as midnight approached, kneeling by her bedside to slip his hand beneath the covers.
The 72-year-old was discovered there, moments later, by his victim’s horrified father, with his hand to “the middle of the girl’s body”.
Appearing in the dock at Perth Sheriff Court, Rattray denied having any “sexual motivation” for the offence.
In fact, when caught in the act he had apologised, saying “too much drink but that’s no excuse” before leaving the house without another word.
But it emerged that he had sexually assaulted the same girl on another occasion, six months earlier, by touching her on the leg.
The court was told he had admitted to police officers that he had touched his victim but refused to accept the full extent of the accounts given by witnesses.
Sheriff William Wood told Rattray he had been guilty of two “very serious” sexual offences against a child.
He placed him on the sex offenders register and called for a report before delivering his sentence on January 21, telling Rattray: “The report will contain an assessment of the risk you pose to children.”
Rattray, of Green Road, Balbeggie, admitted first sexually assaulting the girl, then aged under 13, at an address in Perthshire in October 2013.
He sat beside her on a sofa, placed a jacket and a newspaper over their legs and placed his hand beneath, touching her on the leg.
The second offence took place in April of this year as he drank at an address in Perthshire.
When his victim’s father left him alone to visit the toilet, he took the opportunity to slip into her bedroom.
“The victim’s father returned to find that Mr Rattray was nowhere to be seen but his daughter’s bedroom door was now fully closed where previously it had been ajar,” a depute fiscal told the court.
“He opened the bedroom door to find the room in darkness but, after switching the light on, discovered the accused kneeling beside his daughter’s bed, with his hand and arm under her duvet covers.”