A creepy pervert has been found guilty of causing fear or alarm by suggestively rubbing his nipples outside a betting shop. A jury was told that Gavin Ross turned up outside the shop on numerous occasions and acted in a weird and disturbing manner.
One shop worker became so upset about Ross's behaviour that she asked to be transferred to a different branch of the bookmakers. Ross, 41, from Forfar, was found guilty of causing fear or alarm in Castle Street, Forfar, by repeatedly attending outside the shop between 6 and 24 September 2021.
He was found guilty of loitering outside and refusing to leave, staring into the shop, waving and making inappropriate gestures, playing with, rubbing and squeezing his nipples. Sheriff William Wood deferred sentence for the preparation of background reports and to consider whether there was a "significant sexual element" to the offence.
When he was found guilty, Ross - who is already on the sex offenders register for previous crimes - said: "I couldn't give a f***, man." The trial heard how Ross started turning up outside the shop after a female member of staff asked him to stop picking up cigarette butts off the pavement.
Fiscal depute Joanne Ritchie said: "When she first encountered the accused he was picking up fag butts outside her work. She eventually challenged this. A few days later he came back and stared at her repeatedly and made faces by sticking his tongue out. She recalled feeling uncomfortable and uneasy.
"On 20 September 2021 he came to her work twice while she was working alone. He was directing his gaze at her and gave her the middle finger. He made faces at her and signalled her to go out, and rubbed his nipples over his clothing. On 24 September she contacted the police.
"He was scrunching up his face and sticking his tongue out. She said it was upsetting and stressing her out. She was moved to another branch, the accused being one of the main reasons. She felt that every day she would see him. She saw the accused roughly 15 to 20 times, usually when she was working alone and rarely when she was with anyone else.
"She was candid and did not try and exaggerate what happened. She was honest and upfront and told the truth." Ross was remanded in custody."
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