A director of a leading Tayside events firm has admitted sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl at a Perthshire caravan park.
Alistair McCready was arrested at his workplace after investigators found his DNA inside his young victim’s pyjama bottoms.
The 56-year-old, a director at Dundee-based AM Lighting, appeared in court and admitted sexually assaulting the child at Ballintuim Caravan Park in Highland Perthshire.
The distraught youngster pretended to be asleep as McCready molested her, Perth Sheriff Court heard.
She then sent a series of heartbreaking messages to her mum, asking to come home because “Alistair is being weird”.
McCready, of Calton Street, Coupar Angus, was remanded in custody and will be sentenced next month.
Sheriff William Wood told him: “It seems to me that a custodial sentence is going to be inevitable given that this offence involved a breach of trust.”
McCready was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register.
Victim had ‘tears in her eyes’
FIscal depute Marie Lyons said that the youngster was one of a group of young girls who were staying at McCready’s caravan in July, last year.
During the night, the girl got up to get a drink before going back to her bed.
“After she lay back down, she felt the accused’s hand rub her back under her top,” said Ms Lyons.
“The accused then moved his hand down to her bottom and began rubbing her under her pyjama bottoms, while moving his hand between her legs.
“She did not say anything and kept still. She thinks the accused might have thought she was sleeping.”
Ms Lyons said: “She was upset and had tears in her eyes.”
Snapchat plea to mum
During the night, she sent a series of Snapchat messages to her mum, asking to be collected.
The girl told her: “I want to come home. I miss you and I can’t sleep.”
And: “Please can I come home? Alistair is being weird. He’s rubbing me and I don’t like it.”
The girl’s mother saw the messages when she woke later that morning and immediately drove to the caravan park, north of Blairgowrie.
She found her daughter “clearly distraught and upset”.
McCready was later seen “acting out of character” and sitting on his own outside the caravan.
He was heard to say: “I think I’ve done something to (the girl),” but would not elaborate.
Police turned up at the park and seized clothing as part of their investigation.
McCready’s DNA was found inside the girl’s pyjama bottoms.
McCready was later arrested at his workplace.
During his police interview, he told investigators he had a drinking problem.
Sentence was deferred for background reports until October 13.
McCready is listed as an active director of AM Lighting Ltd.
The company has supplied lighting and sound equipment for scores of events throughout Tayside and Fife.
