A teenager has told a court how a late-night incident on the streets of Crieff had left her stricken with panic attacks.
The 16-year-old was followed through the town by drunken labourer Pawel Tyburski, who was unwilling to see his amorous advances rebuffed.
He repeatedly grabbed the terrified young woman in an attempt to prevent her from making her way home, having attempted to tell her, in broken English, how beautiful she was.
They had met by chance in James Square as the young woman returned home from a party, with the Polish national apparently heavily under the influence of alcohol.
He repeatedly asked her to accompany him to a friend’s house and grabbed her by the shoulders when she attempted to walk away.
Through her tears, she told Perth Sheriff Court Tyburski had put his arms around her waist and attempted to “pick her up” in a bid to prevent her from leaving.
When she finally convinced him she had to leave, he offered to walk her home and then followed her, despite being told she did not want him to.
She finally left him behind after persuading him that she lived just a few doors away.
A short time later, the Pole could be seen on CCTV running down the street at speed in an attempt to catch up with her. The witness said he had been shouting “liar” as he did so.
He took hold of her arms to prevent her continuing on her way and there was a struggle before he finally let her continue home.
The girl said she did not know how to break the news of her ordeal to her parents and it was not until she confided in her employer that the matter was brought to the attention of the police.
She told the court the incident had taken a significant toll upon her health.
“I used to be a really confident person but now I keep suffering from panic attacks,” the witness told the court.
“I don’t walk home at night any more,” she went on.
“My parents always pick me up because they are worried about me.”
After hearing around an hour of evidence, Tyburski offered a guilty plea to an amended charge of assault.
The 21-year-old, of Cornton Place in Crieff, admitted assaulting the young woman in King Street on September 22 last year.
Solicitor David Holmes said: “Clearly this incident has had a great impact upon this young woman and Mr Tyburski deeply regrets that.”
Sentence was deferred until August 6, with Tyburski told by Sheriff Michael Fletcher: “You need to understand what you have put this young lady through.”