A court heard yesterday how a hairdresser, accused of groping teenage colleagues at a north-east salon, had been given a warning by his boss for sexual harassment.
Rory McGhee, of Grampian Road in Aberdeen, is alleged to have repeated sexually assaulted two girls who were working as apprentices.
The former Peterhead Academy pupil, who has worked at hair and beauty salons across the north-east for a number of years, denies the charges against him.
At Aberdeen Sheriff Court yesterday, the boss of the salon revealed the 34-year-old had previously been disciplined over his conduct towards female members of staff.
Fiscal depute Karen Dow asked the owner of the business what McGhee had been like as an employee.
The 48-year-old witness, who cannot be named, said: “He was fine, he turned up, did the job and left, he was hardly ever off sick.”
She then asked if there had been any issues during the course of his employment.
He said: “Yes I had to have a disciplinary [meeting] with him.
“One girl on work experience and one apprentice made a sexual harassment claim against him.
“I gave him a final warning.”
The mother of one of the girls McGhee allegedly sexually assaulted also gave evidence.
She described her daughter’s first week of work at the salon.
The 43-year-old, who also cannot be named, said: “We had a discussion about what she should wear to work. I suggested the dress she had worn for her interview and said it would look nice.
“She said she didn’t want to look nice.
“The next week, she went to her sister’s house instead of coming home after work.
“I got a phone call from her sister’s boyfriend whom she had told what happened.
“She felt too embarrassed to tell me what had happened, so I got her to type it out on my laptop.”
Defence agent Jennifer Pritchard asked: “Would you be surprised to hear your daughter was friends with Mr McGhee on Facebook?”
She replied: “No that would not surprise me, she’s friends with everyone on Facebook.”
The trial, before Sheriff Christine McCrossan, will continue on April 13.