A convicted Aberdeen sex offender has been placed under supervision after sexually assaulting a coffee shop worker in the city centre last year.
Christopher Barron, 38, admitted following one of the baristas at the Costa coffee shop and then standing closely behind her, touching her on the buttocks.
Barron carried out the assault on June 10 last year while on bail, which had been granted just weeks before at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.
Lurking around coffee shop
The court heard Barron had been lurking around the cafe after staff began their shifts at 7.30am.
Fiscal depute Lydia Williams said Barron spotted a female member of staff pushing a trolley into the storeroom.
“[Barron] followed her,” Ms Williams went on. “He came closely up to her as she approached the cash register.
“She turned her head and was aware of [Barron] standing behind her and getting closer to her.”
Frightening assault
Barron was holding his phone in his right hand, the court was told, and Ms Williams added: “He then touched her buttocks with his hand and thrust his phone on the floor – bending down behind her to pick it up.
“CCTV from the shop showed him very purposefully dropping his phone behind her.”
The woman was said to be “scared” but managed to “disconnect herself from him”.
Barron walked away, and another member of staff confirmed they had seen him touch the woman on her buttocks.
The court heard Barron then became hostile and began shouting and swearing at the staff and refused to leave.
“He was walking back and forth,” Ms Williams said.
The police were contacted, and Barron was charged and arrested, stating to officers: “Are you having a laugh?”
Admitted assault
Barron admitted one charge of sexual assault and another of behaving in a threatening and abusive manner.
His defence solicitor, Michael Horsman, said his client had been “extremely anxious” about appearing in court later that day and had a background of drugs misuse.
Sheriff Rhona Wark placed Barron on the Sex Offenders Register for 12 months and placed him under supervision for the same period.
Barron, of Summerhill Drive, Aberdeen, was also ordered to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work, to be completed within 12 months.
Previous conviction
In 2022, Barron was convicted of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl on an Aberdeen bus and made a series of disgusting comments towards three underage girls during the journey.
All of them were only 12 years old at the time and were told by Barron they were “sexy” and that he would “destroy them”.
He then told the group of girls that they “wouldn’t be able to walk for weeks”.
Barron even sexually assaulted one of the 12-year-olds by slapping the girl’s bottom.