JOINER CONVICTED OF SEXUALLY ASSAULTING TEEN IN STIRLING HOTEL
A joiner named James Duncan has been convicted of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl in a Stirling hotel in December 2021, while her friends slept nearby.The court heard that the girl, who was not from the local area, was invited by Duncan back to her accommodation after a night out at a nightclub called Fubar.
The teenagers agreed to share a bed, and the girl woke to find Duncan's hands down her shorts.
In her testimony, she stated that Duncan touched her intimately at a later point in the night.
She explained her hesitation to alert her friends due to fear and shock, noting she pretended to sleep and woke up to find him on top of her, which she didn't want.
Her friend testified that Duncan left the next morning when they went for breakfast, and the girl appeared "off" and was in distress, crying during her recount of the incident.
Duncan, now 26, claimed the encounter was mutual and consensual, stating that they started kissing and touching each other, and he performed a sex act but stopped when she lost interest.
He also claimed a Snapchat message he sent afterward was to prevent teasing from her friends, though he admitted to lying to police initially.
He was found guilty by majority verdict of sexual assault but was acquitted of rape.
Duncan has no previous convictions and was placed on the sex offenders register.
The judge adjourned sentencing until November 5 at the High Court in Glasgow for a background report, and Duncan was granted bail with the possibility of custody on the table.
