A Fife man has gone on trial accused of sexually assaulting a young woman at a Kirkcaldy bowling club.
Phillip McIntosh appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court where he denied groping his alleged victim at Fair Isle Bowling Club on September 9 last year.
The 37-year-old is accused of seizing the woman, who cannot be name for legal reasons, by the leg and by the neck and pulling her head towards his groin.
He is also charged with seizing and pulling her by the body, seizing her by the buttocks, lifting her and squeezing her body, all to her injury.
McIntosh, of Golspie Street in Kirkcaldy, is also accused of making sexual remarks towards the woman.
Witness and club member June McNab had been in the bar area of the building with her husband on the night of the alleged assault.
She told the court how she saw McIntosh and the woman sitting close to each other and noticed they appeared to be “having a lot of fun” and “banter”.
The 62-year-old added that the “loudness went on all night” before she heard a shout from the woman later in the evening.
Mrs McNab said: “It was later on in the night and I heard her saying ‘put me down’… and shortly after that he left.”
The witness added: “She came up to us a wee while after he had left and she said he had been slapping her her on her legs and they were all bruised.
“She seemed a bit distressed. She also said he had been giving her texts back and forward and that she was upset by this.
“I felt really bad that this had been going on because I would have been right up there and helped her.
“I said to her if you’re ever in trouble you should put yourself behind that bar and put the lid down because no one is allowed behind there and that would keep her safe.”
Asked by fiscal depute Nicola Henderson how the young woman appeared after their conversation, Mrs McNab said “she seemed fine”.
Defence solicitor Alistair Burleigh asked if Mrs McNab had actually seen his client lift the woman up to which she replied: “No. But it was her voice.”
The court was previously shown CCTV footage of McIntosh interacting with the woman at the club.
Defence solicitor Alistair Burleigh made a submission of no case to answer on the basis there was no corroboration to the sexual assault element of the charge.
The case was adjourned for Sheriff Alison McKay to consider the application before the next hearing on November 6.
