A retired firefighter has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register after being found guilty of the sexual assault of a woman in a Broughty Ferry pub.
Joseph Buick made a slew of sexual remarks towards the woman as she was sitting, reading a book, in The Royal Arch on Brook Street last year.
The drunk 64-year-old claimed his interactions with the woman were consensual, including giving her a “horsey bite” on the leg.
However, a sheriff did not believe Buick’s version of events and found him guilty of sexual assault
He will be sentenced next month after being convicted of directing sexual remarks at the woman, repeatedly taking hold of her, trying to kiss her, placing his hand on her leg and trying to touch her genitals, all without consent, on November 9.
Sexual comments
Dundee Sheriff Court heard how the woman had known Buick for years and was left “angry” and in “shock”.
He admitted he had been rude, making jibes about her weight, after noticing her sitting in the bar and joining her with a half pint of lager and a Jack Daniels.
His behaviour got worse.
“He came out with a lot of suggestive things,” the woman told the trial.
“He tried to lean into me and pulled my hand.
“I thought he was going to shake my hand but he turned his face as if he was going to kiss me.
“He said he wanted to smell me and touch me.
“He said we should get together and we would explode. He said we could go back to my place and have sex.
“I was just shocked. I thought he was coming over to speak to me normally. I told him ‘no, just stop it’.”
‘He knows what he’s done’
The woman spent around 45 minutes in Buick’s company and later told a staff member about his behaviour, before leaving.
During the exchange – captured on CCTV – the woman said Buick had placed his hand on her thigh before trying to move it to her genital area.
When asked by fiscal depute Charmaine Gilmartin if she had said anything of a sexual nature, she replied: “No. He had moved closer and put his hand on top of my leg.
“He put it in my crotch area for a while.
“I said ‘get your hand off me now’ and I removed it.”
The woman claimed Buick made remarks about his wife having Alzheimer’s and seeing other women for sex.
Kevin Hampton, defending, said it was Buick’s position nothing sexual was discussed and any touching was consensual.
He asked the woman: “Why do you stay at a table with this man who is making these outrageous remarks towards you?”
She replied: “I don’t know. I was just in shock.
“Something like that had never happened to me before.”
Mr Hampton said Buick had given the woman a “horsey bite” – a sharp and sudden squeeze which can be interpreted as playful – instead of making sexual advances.
The woman said: “He knows what he’s done.”
Known for ‘kissing and cuddling’
Buick, of Torridon Road, Broughty Ferry told his trial he was well-known for “kissing and cuddling” people he knew well, especially when under the influence of alcohol.
“Shaking hands is a thing I do a lot and it gets on everybody’s nerves.
“I thought it was a friendly encounter all the way through.
“I squeezed her leg a few times. She never said anything at all.”
Mrs Gilmartin asked: “You have placed your hands on a woman’s leg and you don’t consider that to be sexual?”
Buick replied: “Sorry, I have done it all my life. I do it to males and females, especially when I’ve been drinking.”
Sheriff’s reasons for verdict
Sheriff John Rafferty found Buick guilty of the charge and placed him on the Sex Offenders Register ahead of sentencing next month.
He said: “The complainer in this case seemed to me to be an honest and broadly reliable witness.
“She did on several occasions take the hand of the accused.
“In my assessment, in all but one of those occasions, she took the hand of the accused to control the hand of the accused.
“A reaction by not contacting the police immediately does not surprise me and does not give me concern.
“The evidence of the accused was that he was drunk and I accept that.
“He said some of the touching was playful and in a certain context, that may be possible but the touching of the leg here was not in isolation.”
The sheriff added: “He took the hand of the complainer twice towards his mouth and kissed it.
“Fingers were licked by the accused. I have the evidence of a sober and reliable complainer and a drunk accused.”
For more local court content visit our dedicated page or join us on Facebook.
