A student who admitted sexually assaulting a girl twice in the same night on the dance floor at the Dundee University student’s union has been spared a jail sentence.
Naqash Nadeem, 19, of Bush Street in Musselburgh, was placed on a community payback order with unpaid work and was also put on the sex offenders register for five years.
Sheriff Alastair Brown told Nadeem he had violated his victim’s sexual autonomy.
Dundee Sheriff Court heard Nadeem began dancing with the girl, who was on a night out with friends at the students’ union in Airlie Place, despite not knowing her.
Depute fiscal Laura Bruce told the court that at around 1.20am he began dancing behind her, put his hands round her waist then sexually assaulted her on top of her clothing.
The teenage girl attempted to move away and one of her friends witnessed the assault.
The girl decided to remain in the students’ union, Mrs Bruce said, and an hour later, she was again dancing but had become separated from her friends.
The accused approached and began dancing with her and again sexually assaulted her in the same way, she said.
“She traced her friends and told them it had happened again and the matter was reported to the door staff,” she said.
Police were called and attended and the accused was identified by the door staff and he was apprehended.
“CCTV captured the incident,” the depute fiscal added.
Solicitor Laura McGillvery told the court Nadeem had consumed “far more alcohol” than he had ever previously done.
She said he came from a deeply religious family and had been shunned by his friends since the incident and the publicity surrounding it.
Ms McGillvery added that Nadeem had written a letter of apology to the court and to his victim.
Nadeem admitted that on January 10 2018, at Mono dance floor in DUSA, Airlie Place, he repeatedly sexually assaulted the girl over her clothing while dancing with her.
Sheriff Alastair Brown told Nadeem: “No one should be touched sexually without their consent. You violated this young woman’s sexual autonomy in a serious way and you did it twice.
“However, you have never been in trouble before, you did this because you had far too much to drink and one of the consequences of that is that your judgment is impaired and inhibitions are destroyed.
“That is what happened to you. It is not an excuse. I can step away from a custodial sentence. You will not be going to jail.”
Sheriff Brown sentenced him to 200 hours of unpaid work to be completed within nine months.
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