A feted Fife surgeon has admitted flashing at a family staying in the Airbnb next door to his home during a bitter planning dispute.
60-year-old Christopher William Oliver appeared in the dock at Dundee Sheriff Court after acting on his planning grievance in bizarre fashion last summer.
Fiscal depute Carol Doherty explained there had been a dispute, which had been taken up with Fife Council, between Oliver and his next door neighbour in the Cellardyke’s George Street.
The argument centred on the legality of a balcony installed at the house, let out as an AirBnB.
Exposed his genitals
On July 7, Nicola Woolfries, along with her partner and mother were staying at the seaside property next to Oliver’s.
A child was also staying there.
Ms Doherty said: “At around 7.45pm, Ms Woolfries, her partner and mother returned to the property and went out onto the new balcony to check the view, as there had been builders on the balcony during the day.
“At the time, the accused was in his garden at the rear of his home, along with his wife.
“Upon seeing them, the accused began to remonstrate, saying: ‘Have a look at this and you won’t come back’ and made his way towards them.
“At this point, Ms Woolfries noticed that the accused had his shorts around his ankles and was exposing his genitals.
“Ms Woolfries shouted to the accused to pull his trousers up and the accused replied, stating they should not be staying there and it was all the owner’s fault that he was acting that way.
“Ms Woolfries said that anything regarding the balcony or the work being done was nothing to do with them as they were guests.
“He continued remonstrating loudly and they were shouting back.”
The fiscal depute added Oliver was told there was a child within the property but when he heard this, turned around to show his buttocks, bent over and shouted: “Can you see all this?”
The child inside could hear shouting and came out to see what the commotion was but had to be kept inside to avoid seeing the partially naked accused.
‘I sometimes bathe naked’
The court heard a member of the public on the beach below could hear Oliver ranting and saw he was exposing himself.
Ms Doherty added: “At the same time, a passer-by had been walking along the beach directly under the properties when he heard the accused shouting and could hear him shouting about a balcony and could hear a male asking someone to pull up their trousers.”
Police were called and Oliver was cautioned and charged.
He told officers: “I did expose myself to them but I wasn’t doing it intentionally or in an aggressive manner.
He added: “I sometimes bathe naked.”
‘Something really quite unusual’
His agent Mark Stewart QC told the court Oliver had always maintained he did not expose himself in a sexual manner, something prosecutors reflected in the amended charge to which he pled guilty.
Oliver admitted acting in a threatening or abusive manner, which was likely to cause any reasonable person to suffer fear or alarm, in that he shouted and exposed his genitals and buttocks.
Sheriff Neil Bowie described the incident as “something really quite unusual” as he deferred sentencing while a criminal justice social work report is prepared.
Oliver will be sentenced at Dundee Sheriff Court on June 1.
Oliver previously told The Sunday Post how he had to give up his job as an emergency trauma surgeon at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary due to losing sensation in his hands as a result of diabetes.
He took up a new career as a music promoter and director.
