A chef who has worked at some of the country’s top hotels has been placed on the sex offenders register for three years after he admitted groping two women at his workplace.
Paul Armitt admitted carrying out sex attacks on a teenager and another woman while he worked at a hotel in Perth and Kinross.
He was placed under social work supervision for three years and ordered to attend the Moving Forward Making Changes programme.
Armitt has previous convictions related to lewd and libidinous conduct and kerb crawling.
The 34-year-old, whose online profile states he has previously worked at Gleneagles and Turnberry, was fired from his post but is now working in another hotel kitchen.
Depute fiscal Stuart Richardson told Perth Sheriff Court that a teenage girl had been sent to look for Armitt when customers arrived looking for food.
Mr Richardson told the court: “The complainer was 16 at the time. She was sent to find the accused and found him to tell him that people were in looking for a meal.
“At that point, and for no apparent reason, he reached forward and grabbed hold of both of her breasts.”
Mr Richardson said that another female was standing close to the bar on a separate occasion several months later when she dropped something on the ground.
“She bent over to pick it up and the accused came up behind her and slapped her on the buttocks. She was the person who reported matters to police,” he said.
Officers began an investigation which eventually led to Armitt facing a total of 12 charges, but 10 of those were dropped by the Crown when he pleaded guilty to two offences. He admitted what he had done when he was interviewed by police.
Armitt, of St Edmund Terrace, Dundee, admitted sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl by handling her breasts within the hotel during 2012.
He also admitted sexually assaulting a 30-year-old woman by slapping her buttocks on October 12 2013.
Solicitor David Holmes, defending, said Armitt was no longer working at the hotel but was doing a similar job elsewhere.