Court Sentences Man for Sexual Assault at Perthshire Staff Party

COURT SENTENCES MAN FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT AT PERTHSHIRE STAFF PARTY

A court has heard that a restaurant employee laughed at a 13-year-old girl after sexually assaulting her during a staff gathering.

Drunkenly, Eric Cousin slapped the girl’s buttocks and touched her breasts at the event in Blairgowrie.

When she asked him to stop, he responded with laughter.

The 58-year-old appeared in Perth Sheriff Court to admit to molesting the young girl on August 31 of the previous year.

Having a prior conviction for sexually assaulting a stranger in a Perth pub, Cousin was prohibited from contacting his victim for up to five years.

Prosecutor Elaine Sym described the incident occurring during a work social in the Blairgowrie area.

She indicated that Cousin was visibly intoxicated during the event, which started around midday.

The girl, who was 13, was having her lunch with her mother when the incident occurred.

At approximately 3 pm, she was walking through a garden area with Cousin behind her.

He repeatedly slapped her on the buttocks, and when she turned to look at him, he was smiling.

She did not react at the time.

An hour later, during a playful fight, she pinched his arm, prompting him to push her breasts.

She told him not to touch her, but he laughed in response.

For the remainder of the day, she tried to avoid Cousin, who was acting inappropriately.

Later, she confided in her mother after they returned home from visiting a friend.

Her mother confronted Cousin, who apologized, claiming he meant no harm.

Solicitor David Holmes, defending Cousin, stated that his client had consumed a significant amount of alcohol that day.

He expressed that Cousin regrets his actions and has apologized.

Previously, Cousin was sentenced to unpaid work following an incident in 2019 at Perth’s Greyfriars bar where he had molested a woman.

For that offence, he spent a year on the sex offenders register.

Sheriff William Wood told Cousin that his previous conviction would influence the court’s decision.

While acknowledging the seriousness of the offence, the sheriff decided against a custodial sentence, citing the need for supervision instead.

He warned Cousin to behave responsibly given the age disparity and alcohol influence.

The court ordered Cousin to be under supervision for 18 months, complete 145 hours of unpaid work, and stay away from the girl for five years under a non-harassment order.

Additionally, he must avoid contact with the girl’s mother for 18 months and remain on the sex offenders register for five years.