GRAHAM DEMPSEY

A MAN who pressed his crotch against a teen girl in the street has been put on the sex offenders register for five years.

Graham Dempsey was convicted following a trial on August 15 over the crime two years ago just days after he showed two teenagers a sexual image on his phone.

On September 13, 2022, he caused two 15-year-olds on a bus between Helensburgh and Kilcreggan to look at a sexual image while engaging in conversation with them.

Then on September 18, on the village's School Road, he behaved in a threatening or abusive manner which was likely to cause a reasonable person to suffer fear or alarm and followed a 14-year-old girl, walked extremely close to her and pressed his hips and crotch area against her body.

Dempsey, of Fairfield Gardens, later pleaded guilty to the September 13 crimes but denied what happened five days later.

He was convicted of that offence on August 15 this year.

The 58-year-old returned to Dumbarton Sheriff Court on October 1 for sentencing.

Last year, he was sentenced to 18 months supervision and 236 hours of unpaid work for the bus crime and put on the sex offenders register for a year-and-a-half.

Most of his unpaid work hours have been completed and Dempsey's defence solicitor said his client was now "off the drink".

He said: "He is on medication and leading a fairly quiet life." Sheriff Maxwell Hendry said: "I'm prepared to accept your offending has taken place within a fairly short period of time and has not been repeated." But he warned that any repetition of such behaviour towards teenagers would see a sheriff considering custody.

A new community payback order was imposed with another 175 hours of unpaid work in the community.

And Dempsey will now be on the sex offenders register for a further five years.