A music teacher told a teenage girl at a Fife school that her curled hair “turned him on,” a court has heard.
Dean Bromage is on trial accused of engaging in sexual activity with three pupils while in a position of trust.
The second of his alleged victims took to the stand at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court to tell how the 33-year-old told her that another pupil was sexually active and “gagging for it”.
The woman, who is now in her 20s, told jurors: “There was one time I went into the music space.
“I had curled my hair and he told me that when I curled my hair it turned him on. I was 16 or 17.”
She said Bromage had given her an “extended” hug following the comment.
Groped during ‘long and intense’ hug
On another occasion she said Bromage groped her bottom while giving her a “long and intense” hug.
She said: “I was upset and my friend came in. She went to get Dean Bromage and he came in and hugged me, but on this occasion his hands went lower and onto my bum.
“I think I was quite shocked. But I was upset and crying.”
She told of another conversation where Bromage made comments about another girl.
“The conversation was that she had recently got a boyfriend and Dean Bromage made a comment about how now she was having sex and gagging for it.
“He was implying that you could tell she had had sex.
“I felt uncomfortable about it.”
‘Very inappropriate’
She added that on another occasion, Bromage disclosed problems in his personal life and told the alleged victim he should marry her instead.
“I think at the time I was flattered,” she said. “Now I think it was very inappropriate and it doesn’t make me feel good.”
She said that she did not report Bromage’s behaviour as she did not want him to lose his job.
She denied a suggestion from Gordon Martin, acting in Bromage’s defence, that in making the comment about the other girl being “gagging for it” her teacher was merely trying to cheer her up as she had fallen out with the girl in question.
Found out pupil was gay
The court also heard from a third woman who claimed that Bromage’s inappropriate behaviour ceased as soon as he found out she was gay.
She described Bromage as “very charismatic” but said he would frequently ask the female pupils if they had lost their virginities.
She said: “As soon as we came of age he would ask about our sex lives, had we lost our virginity.
“It seemed he got more excited.
“I was uncomfortable. It’s not a conversation I would have with my friends, let alone a teacher.”
She rejected a suggestion that Bromage was simply trying to ensure they practiced safe sex.
The court also heard from one of Bromage’s former colleagues, who said the 33-year-old had previously been spoken to about his manner with one of the girls.
The woman – who cannot be named for legal reasons – had noticed that she was overfamiliar with the girl, who was in her teens at the time, and warned him he could easily find himself in court.
She said: “We had conversations about how girls could see his actions as something more.
“I discussed with my line manager that this was a frequent thing and he wasn’t taking it on board.
“It wasn’t that he was acting in a way that was predatory, it was him acting flirtatiously.
“He was warned that he would end up in this situation if he wasn’t careful.”
However, she confirmed that music teachers would sometimes hug pupils after they had performed well in a music exam or concert.
Bromage, of Fotheringham Drive, Monifieth, is said to have engaged in sexual activity with the girls whilst in a position of trust between August 2012 and August 2015.
It is alleged that he made sexual comments to and repeatedly cuddled all three women, while also touching the bottoms of two of them over their clothing.
He denies all charges.
The trial before Sheriff Gilchrist continues.
