A pervert mechanic who offered young women a lift home and then indecently assaulted them has been placed on the sex offenders’ register.
George Macneil targeted two victims, making unwanted advances and stroking their legs while in a car with them.
He told Dundee Sheriff Court he was simply “a very tactile person”, and said the truth of that could be borne out by the testimony of his current partner.
His Solicitor, Ann Duffy, said her client perhaps “lacked insight” into the severity of the offences.
The court was told that Macneil’s business was “in ruins” as a result of the offences.
He and his partner had also had to flee Dundee since the charges came to light, Mrs Duffy said.
The first offence took place in October last year after a young woman visited his garage premises in Dundee.
While she was at the garage, Macneil offered to give her a lift home.
Matters darkened swiftly when, out of the blue, he confided in her that he had once been accused of “kissing” a colleague’s girlfriend and of “doing something” to another woman.
As they drove, he told her that she was “an attractive girl” and then placed his hand on her thigh.
He also took her hand and then stroked her inner thigh for some time, all the while begging her not to tell anyone.
His victim is said to have been unable to react, such was her shock.
The second incident involved a customer who’d had the mechanic recommend to her by a friend.
She made numerous visits to the accused’s business over a number of days for repairs to an apparently ageing and unreliable vehicle.
At one point during the work, Macneil asked the woman for help and requested that he drive her to collect a car.
The court was told that she already considered him “a bit of a creep” but nonetheless agreed to help.
During the journey, he told her she was “very beautiful” and placed his hands on her cheeks, commenting that she was “nice and warm”.
He also began to rub her thigh and suggested that they meet up the following day for “a bit of a cuddle”.
She kept trying to fend him off, but the court was told he had been persistent and had continued to try and stroke her leg and kiss her.
At one point he pulled over in front of a primary school and indecently assaulted her.
The court was told his victim had broken down sometime later at her work and confided in colleagues.
George Macneil, 59, of Achingale Place, Watten, Wick, admitted sexually assaulting a woman on roads in Dundee between October 12, 2015 and October 31, 2015.
He also admitted sexually assaulting a second woman on roads in Fife and Dundee on November 3, 2014.
Sheriff Tom Hughes told Macneil: “Your behaviour was totally unacceptable and you could easily be facing jail.”
In the end, the sheriff stayed his hand and made Macneil subject to a community payback order.
He will be under supervision for three years and will also have to attend a group work programme, in addition to being on the register.
