The head chef of a Glenrothes takeaway must pay compensation to two women he sexually assaulted when they were teenagers.
Pervaiz Rasool was placed under supervision and made subject to strict conduct requirements at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court.
Sizzlers chef Rasool was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for a year and told to pay £300 to a woman he bundled into a cupboard and tried to kiss.
He will pay a further £200 to a woman whose shoulders he rubbed on a weekly basis.
Rasool, of Glebe Road in Kincardine, denied the trio of sexual assault charges he faced but was convicted by Sheriff Jamie Gilchrist.
Sexual misconduct
The court heard Rasool, a married father, was known as “Chef” at his workplace.
One woman gave evidence he would routinely rub her shoulders at the Woodside Road takeaway when she was a teenager and this made her feel uncomfortable.
Sheriff Gilchrist signalled that “it was clear” Rasool had not asked for permission to do this.
Sentencing and reading from Sheriff Gilchrist’s notes, Sheriff Elizabeth McFarlane said: “The accused denied that he had done this. I didn’t believe him.”
Another woman gave evidence that in autumn of 2019, Rasool pulled her into the back room of Sizzlers and tried to kiss her.
She turned her head and he kissed her cheek.
On another occasion weeks later, Rasool grabbed her by the arms and took her into a cupboard in the back of the shop, then tried to close the door.
His victim put her foot in the way of the door to stop it shutting.
He asked the teenage woman if he could kiss her “as it was Christmas”.
She refused and turned her head away again but Rasool kissed her on the cheek for a second time.
The woman never returned to Sizzlers after this incident.
‘Opportunistic’ assaults
Rasool was convicted of rubbing the first teenage woman’s shoulders on various occasions between 2017 and 2019.
On an occasion in late 2019, he sexually assaulted a second woman by grabbing and pulling her by the arm and kissing her to the cheek.
He sexually assaulted her again in December 2019 by grabbing her by the wrist, pushing her into a cupboard and kissing her cheek.
The 54-year-old returned to court to be sentenced, aided by an Urdu interpreter.
His solicitor Alan Jackson said: “He is regarded as a good employee.
“He maintains his position.
“He’s found the conviction very difficult.
“The extent of his involvement seems to be opportunistic.”
Sheriff McFarlane placed him under supervision for a year.
Rasool must only reside in accommodation approved by Fife Council’s social work department and must only work in roles they agree he is allowed to.
