A charity worker has been placed on the sex offenders register after he sexually assaulted several female colleagues on a Christmas night out in Aberdeen.
Robert Lungoci appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court where he admitted groping and making sexual comments to three young women as they partied at various nightspots around the city.
It was stated that the 42-year-old repeatedly touched the women without their permission – slapping their backsides on several occasions.
His actions were witnessed by other colleagues, who expressed feeling ill at ease with the older man’s behaviour towards younger female members of staff.
It is understood that following Lungoci’s behaviour being reported to police he was let go by the homeless charity he worked for.
Women were ‘shocked’ and ‘disgusted’
Fiscal depute Eilidh Gunn told the court that on the evening of December 2 last year a group of support workers met up at the Globe Inn in Aberdeen city centre for their Christmas night out.
During the evening Lungoci engaged in conversation with one of the young women, then aged 22, and began stroking her left thigh without the young woman’s consent.
“She felt shocked and turned her chair away from the accused as she believed his actions were sexually motivated,” Ms Gunn said.
Whilst still in the same bar, but later the same evening, witnesses saw Lungoci slap the same woman on the bottom.
Ms Gunn said it made Lungoci’s colleagues feel uncomfortable due to the age gap between them.
Later, Lungoci made a lewd and personal sexual comment directed to the woman and a friend before making repeated comments about her breasts.
As the group moved on to Slains Castle, Lungoci turned his attention to a second young colleague by placing his arm over her shoulder and then slapping her on the bottom.
“She had not given him permission to do this and felt shocked and disgusted by his actions,” Ms Gunn said.
A short time later, Lungoci was on the dancefloor of Krakatoa Bar and started targeting a third woman by stroking her hair and upper arm.
Ms Gunn said Lungoci’s behaviour made her feel “uncomfortable” as she hadn’t entertained his advances and she also considered Lungoci’s actions toward her to be “sexually motivated”.
The police were later contacted and Lungoci was cautioned and arrested.
In the dock, Lungoci pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assault and one charge of making comments about one woman’s breasts and asking a question that was intended to humiliate, distress or alarm for the purpose of gaining sexual gratification.
‘Sincere apology’
Defence solicitor Ian Woodward-Nutt stated that he would reserve mitigation to a later date and called for reports to be carried out into his client’s background prior to sentencing.
He added that Lungoci had asked him to “extend a public and sincere apology to all those affected by his behaviour” on that evening.
Sheriff Ian Wallace deferred sentence on Lungoci, of Holburn Street, Aberdeen, in order for a criminal justice social work report and a restriction of liberty order assessment to be carried out.
The sheriff also placed Lungoci on the sex offenders register.
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