A FORFAR restaurant manager accused of assaulting two women and fondling a 14-year-old took the stand to deny the charges at the town’s sheriff court yesterday.

However he admitted that he had lied to police when interviewed, because he hoped the case would be dropped.

Naeem Waqas Rehmat (24) denies that, on various occasions between February 8 and May 8, 2005, at The Crossing, East High Street, Forfar, he assaulted a woman, handling her buttocks, placing his hand underneath her clothing and handling her breasts.

He also denies that, on an occasion between October 1 and October 31, 2005, at Castle Street, Forfar, he assaulted another woman, kissed her neck and face, pushed her on to a bed, pinned her down, unbuttoned her jeans and handled her private parts.

He further denies that, on March 28, at Caruso’s Restaurant, East High Street, Forfar, he used lewd, indecent and libidinous practices towards a 14-year-old girl, handled her breasts over her clothing, seized her by the waist, kissed her on the face and neck, placed his hands under her clothing, handled her breasts, placed his hands down her trousers and handled her buttocks.

The court heard from Detective Constable Tracey Airth, who interviewed Rehmat at Arbroath Police Station after he attended voluntarily.

When she asked him about an incident during which he was alleged to have kissed and fondled one of the women at the rear of the restaurant after pushing her up against a wall, he replied, “That never happened.”

Then, when he was asked about one woman’s claims she was being touched on a daily basis, he replied, “No comment.”

When DC Airth asked him about forcibly pushing the woman on to the bed at the Castle Street flat, he made a similar reply, adding that she had never been in the property.

When she asked, “Are all these women lying?” Rehmat responded, “To me they are lying.”

The interview ended as Rehmat, who arrived in Scotland from Pakistan in 2005, asked to see his lawyer.

Advocate Tim Niven-Smith, defending, later made a submission that there was no case to answer, based on insufficient corroboration of the accused’s identification.

However, this was dismissed by Sheriff Kevin Veal who said there was a case to answer.

Rehmat then took to the stand and, in questioning from his defence counsel, denied that he ever kissed or touched the breasts of the 14-year-old at the Caruso’s front counter or that he put his hands up her top and down her trousers at the back of the restaurant.

However, he admitted lying about whether the woman, who claims she was pushed and sexually assaulted on a bed, was ever in his flat.

Speaking through an interpreter he said, “I didn’t tell them (the police) that she went in the flat with me… I was scared. I thought they would put me in jail. I was scared in case they would beat me up. In my country the police beat people up.”

He added, “I thought if I tell them (she wasn’t in the flat) that they would let me go. I didn’t know they would take me to court.”

Rehmat also claimed that he was not offered the option of having his solicitor or an interpreter present during the police interview.

The trial continues on August 3 when the accused will be cross examined by depute fiscal Donna Brown.