An Aberdeen man has been jailed after he crept into a bedroom in the middle of the night and sucked a teenage girl’s toes before groping her private parts.
Self-confessed foot fetishist Lee Edwards, 45, pled guilty to one charge of sexual assault at the property in Aberdeenshire.
Edwards was convicted of licking the girl’s feet, sucking her toes, trying to remove her lower clothing and touching her private parts with his fingers over her pyjamas.
After he was arrested Edwards claimed to have tripped on a hairbrush, which caused him to fall over and his face to touch her feet.
Nighttime sexual assault
Fiscal depute Andrew McMann told the court the girl – who was a family friend enjoying a sleepover at the property in January last year – first thought she was dreaming.
He explained the girl had at first woken up by the sensation of someone pulling her socks off and had seen Edwards standing at the bottom of her bed.
“Believing she was dreaming, she went back to sleep,” Mr McMann added.
But later into the night, between 1am and 2am, she woke again when Edwards returned.
Mr McMann said: “Edwards had pulled her socks off and was licking her feet and sucking her toes.
“[She] did not react and pretended to sleep.
“This lasted around four or five minutes.
“[Edwards] thereafter kneeled by the side of [the girl] and grabbed the top of her pyjama bottoms and unsuccessfully tried to remove them.”
Attacker had foot fetish
The court was told Edwards touched the girl’s leg and her private parts over the top of her clothing.
A second girl in the room had now woken up and disturbed Edwards, who then left the room.
Edward’s victim told the other child what happened and the pair stayed awake for the rest of the night, the court was told.
The girl told her parents the following day and Edwards was arrested and interviewed.
Mr McMann said: “[Edwards] admitted having a foot fetish.
“He stated that he had gone to the room to make sure the girls were alright.
“The lights had been off, and he had tripped over a hairbrush.
“He had put his arms out to break his fall and had touched [the girl] on the thigh – his face had hit her foot when he had fallen.”
DNA evidence found
Mr McMann said DNA matching Edwards’ was found on the girl’s feet.
Edwards’ defence solicitor Liam McAllister said his client’s actions were “deplorable and shameful”.
He said: “He coveys his apologies to all concerned – and that he has caused stress and anxiety to them.
“He has never previously offended and had held down employment his whole life.
“He provides for himself and others and continues to do so.
“He knows it is appalling and wrong – he was intoxicated with alcohol at the time.”
Mr McAllister said Edwards had been receiving therapy for his behaviour and that it stemmed from abuse he suffered as a child.
“He does not want to repeat this despicable behaviour,” he added.
‘You know it was wrong’
Sheriff Philip Mann said it was an “extremely serious” offence, adding: “You know that yourself.
“I have no doubt there are issues in your background that might have contributed to your offending.
“You know what you did was wrong.
“It is a troubling attack on a young lady – I am not told what effect it had on her, but I am sure that it will have been significant.”
Sheriff Mann said the “only option” was custody and jailed Edwards, of Union Grove, Aberdeen, for 12 months and placed him on the Sex Offender’s Register.