A shopkeeper who sexually assaulted a schoolgirl when she tried to buy a vape from him in Montrose has been placed on the sex offenders register.
Salman Hssainni denied sexually assaulting and communicating indecently with the 13-year-old when she tried to buy the e-cigarette.
Hssainni was working alone at the Dobry Eastern European store on Montrose’s High Street on July 20 last year when the girl entered.
He asked to kiss her then unzipped her top.
At an earlier hearing, Forfar Sheriff Court heard Hssainni was a Kurdish-Iranian asylum seeker who lived in Angus at the time and is now residing in Glasgow.
The 29-year-old stood trial, aided in the dock by an interpreter, was found guilty and placed on the sex offenders register.
Vape transaction
Hssaini’s victim cannot be identified for legal reasons.
She told the trial she had been with friends but went into the shop alone to purchase a vape for one of the group.
“I saw just the one male behind the counter, just sat there on their phone.
“I asked for the vape. He responded, asking to kiss me. I said: ‘no, I’ve got a boyfriend’.
“He was like: ‘Aw, your boyfriend won’t find out’.
“I asked for the vape again. He started grabbing my face.
“He tried to unzip my cardi. I had nothing underneath but a bra.
“He was pointing to… my chest, my neck, just everywhere on my body, asking if he could kiss me there.
“He just kept on asking. I told him I had to get a train home.
Dashed from shop
The girl continued: “He put the vape on the counter. He was like: ‘Please can I kiss you?’
“He was teasing me with my change, he was putting it in my hand and taking it out my hand.
“When he was asking to kiss me, he was pulling me forward.
“He was holding my cardi and pulling me. He was also holding my chin and pulling me closer.
“I was pulling away, leaning backwards.
“I sprinted out. I wanted to get away from the shop. I regretted going in.
“I didn’t know what was going to happen to me.”
The girl phoned her father and friends later entered the shop to challenge Hssainni.
When police attended the next day, they were advised the CCTV cameras were “preventative measures” rather than recording kit.
The court also heard from two of the girl’s friends.
Hssainni, who is not the owner of the shop, denied the incident had taken place and claimed he simply refused to sell the vape to her.
He told the court the girl was “arguing and pleading” for the e-cigarette.
The girl’s cardigan was examined by police but no DNA was recovered from it.
‘Compelling’ testimony
Sheriff Mark Thorley convicted Hssainni of two charges.
He found, for sexual gratification or humiliating, distressing or alarming the 13-year-old, Hssainni directed sexual verbal communications at her and repeatedly uttered sexual remarks to her.
The sheriff also found Hssainni guilty of sexually assaulting the teen and seizing her on the head, attempting to pull her towards him and repeatedly attempting to remove her upper clothing.
He told Hssainni: “I found the evidence of the young women here compelling and I accept their evidence as being both credible and reliable.”
Sentencing was deferred until June 26 for the court to obtain background reports.
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