An Insch man whose horrific and prolonged sex assault on a woman was caught on a pet camera has been jailed.
Steven Wood, 47, hung his head in shame as he was sentenced for subjecting the woman to the disturbing attack within her own home.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard how Wood pulled the woman onto a sofa before forcing himself on her.
Wood then pulled off her clothes and repeatedly sexually assaulted her.
During the chilling footage, Wood’s victim can be heard begging him more than 100 times to stop the assault.
The Press and Journal counted 98 separate occasions when the stricken woman shouted “no” and six instances of her crying out the words “leave me alone”.
She also exclaimed the words “get off” five times, pleaded for him to “go away” and stated the phrase “don’t touch me”.
‘I feel so bad now’
When he finally left the terrified woman’s home, Wood sent her a series of twisted text messages on WhatsApp, blaming his disgraceful actions on the victim.
“Sorry I just want you,” one message read, with another stating: “I would never harm you.”
In a third message, Wood asked: “Why did you not push me away … I feel so bad now.”
On May 25 this year – and just a few weeks after pleading guilty to the sexual assault at Aberdeen Sheriff Court – Wood was seen raving on the dancefloor at The Drouthy Laird entertainment venue in Inverurie.
A video posted on Facebook showed the remorseless sex pest dancing care-free in front of the camera.
Accused pulled woman to the ground
Fiscal depute Kirsty Martin told the court that just before midnight on November 26 last year, Wood arrived at the woman’s home and allowed him into her kitchen.
However, as soon as she’d allowed him into the house he began to try to kiss and cuddle her.
She tried to halt his sexual advances by telling him she was on her period.
The woman then went to the bathroom and as she felt uneasy, she activated a Ring camera that she kept in her living room to observe her pets when she wasn’t home.
She did not inform Wood that she had done this.
When she returned to the living room, Wood repeatedly tried to take her face in his hands to hug and kiss her – to which she repeatedly told him ‘no’.
As she turned her back on Wood, he grabbed her by the hair, causing her to fall to the ground, face down on all fours, with the top half of her body resting on the sofa.
Wood immediately jumped onto the woman’s back and began thrusting his groin against her body.
He then pulled the woman’s trousers down and sexually assaulted her before pulling down his own trousers and carrying out a sex act.
Key video evidence
The sexual assault lasted for around 20 minutes before Wood eventually left the woman’s home.
The pet camera had captured the entire incident.
After he had left, Wood then sent the woman a series of messages that stated: “Sorry, I just want you” and “I would never harm you,” adding: “Why did you not push me away, I feel so bad now.”
Wood then sent another message that said: “I just want you to come and dance with me.”
Other messages followed with him asking her to let him know that she was okay.
The woman then reported the matter to the police and showed them the video – with Wood being arrested a few days later.
Appearing in the dock, Wood pleaded guilty to one charge of sexual assault, uttering sexually explicit remarks and carrying out a sex act.
Defence solicitor Mike Monro stated that his client was a first offender and up until this incident had been a “valuable and useful member of society”.
“It’s not difficult to tell the accused just how serious this matter is,” the solicitor said.
“The behaviour by him is so totally and utterly out of character.
“He had been out in Aberdeen where he had taken legal and illegal substances.
“How that gives him the thinking that he can go around to the complainer’s address in this way is beyond him.
“The accused is not in a position at all to dispute any of these accusations – each allegation is very serious.
“The court may decide that what he has done goes beyond the line.”
16 months in prison
Sentencing Wood, Sheriff Morag McLaughlin told him: “It is my assessment that this matter is so serious that I have no option but to impose a custodial sentence.
“The nature of the assault is such that only custody can mark the seriousness and mark society’s displeasure of this behaviour.”
The sheriff sentenced Wood, of Foudland Crescent, Insch, to 16 months in prison and made him subject to the sex offenders register for 10 years.
She also put a non-harassment order in place, meaning Wood cannot approach his victim for five years.
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