A Kirkcaldy man stroked a taxi driver’s hair and pulled her towards him to kiss her on the forehead after paying his fare.
Linas Karjus, 44, left the vehicle without saying a word following the sex attack in Kirkcaldy’s Alexandra Street in October 2020.
The town’s sheriff court heard the woman was left “frozen,” scared and intimidated by the stranger’s actions.
Procurator fiscal depute Amy Robertson said the taxi had been dispatched to an address in the town’s Overton Mains and Karjus got into the vehicle.
The fiscal depute said: “The witness (driver) could smell alcohol from the accused, who appeared to be under the influence.
“The journey to the locus took place and the accused paid the fare.
“However, when he was handing over money he put his right arm behind the witness’s head and stroked her hair.
“She froze at this and was in shock and felt scared and intimidated.
“He then pulled the witness towards him and kissed her on the forehead.
“She advised she could not move and the accused left without saying a word.”
Doesn’t understand sexual element
Karjus, of Kirkcaldy’s Alexandra Street, pled guilty to sexually assaulting the woman while she acted in the course of her employment, on June 16 before the case went to trial.
Defence lawyer Kieran Clegg said his client had been at a friend’s house drinking alcohol that day and having taken a taxi, in a “moment of stupidity and loss of inhibition” made a decision to act in the way libelled.
The solicitor said Karjus had mentioned “cultural norms” but fully accepts his behaviour caused distress to his victim.
However, Mr Clegg also revealed his client still has difficulty realising how his actions were sexually motivated.
Sheriff Ian Anderson sentenced Karjus to carry out 140 hours of unpaid work as part of a community payback order and placed him on the Sex Offenders Register for five years.
The sheriff told him: “This must have been a frightening experience for the taxi driver and in the circumstances I am satisfied that the offence is serious enough to impose (a community payback order) as an alternative to custody.”
