‘CREEPY MAN’ SEXUALLY ASSAULTED WOMAN ON DANCE FLOOR OF CARLISLE BAR
A district judge told 44-year-old Paul Muir that he had seriously considered jailing him but felt that the best way to protect the public from his bad behaviour would be to impose a community sentence.At an earlier court hearing, the defendant, from Logan Road, Gretna, pleaded guilty to sexual assault, two assaults on emergency workers –police officers; two shop thefts and racially aggravated threatening behaviour.
Prosecutor Diane Jackson described the offending.
Muir committed the sexual assault offence at Lloyds Bar in Botchergate centre on January 3 when he was seen rubbing his private parts over his clothing and then “pinching” a woman who was dancing nearby on her bottom.
She initially thought it was a work colleague.
But her friends pointed out that the person responsible was “the creepy guy standing behind her,” a reference to the defendant.
Considering herself to be a "strong woman," she initially shrugged off the incident and carried on with her evening out.
But once she was outside the bar, at the end of the evening, she began to feel uncomfortable about being inappropriately touched, said Mrs Jackson.
She became fearful that the defendant may target a younger victim.
So she told door-staff at the bar what had happened and CCTV images from the club confirmed that Muir was responsible.
Mrs Jackson then outlined the earlier incident when Muir racially abused the owner of the Carlisle hotel where he had been staying.
The victim realised the defendant had failed to pay for two nights when he was a guest, and so tried to resolve the issue with Muir, who became verbally abusive.
When police were called, Muir refused to cooperate, said Mrs Jackson.
As they tried to arrest him for a breach of the peace, he reacted by swinging his arms.
One of his hands struck a female officer in the face.
A second officer was hit during the resulting melee.
As the officers were escorting Muir from the hotel, he walked past the owner and aimed a racial slur at him.
In a victim statement, the hotelier said: “This is not the first time that I’ve been racially abused but it’s not acceptable at any time.” What happened was upsetting and affected his sleep, he said.
District Judge Philip Holden told Muir that he had thought long and hard about whether to jail him for his “catalogue of offending.” But any such sentence would be for only a “matter of weeks,” said the judge.
He told Muir: “You have spent four weeks in custody; and I consider it is a better option for the public and for you for me to consider the alternative to immediate custody set out in the pre-sentence report… “I understand the problems with your mental health background, but you are a thorough nuisance and have caused a lot of consternation and concern and worry to a number of people.” Muir had used "vile language" towards the hotel owner and sexually assaulted the woman who was dancing at Lloyd’s Bar.
But a more “constructive” option, which would better protect the public, was a community order.
The District Judge imposed an 18-month order, with 20 rehabilitation activity days.
The judge expressed his desire that work be done to address Muir’s “obvious and enduring problem” with drugs.
He must pay £200 compensation to the woman he assaulted and the same some to the hotel owner he racially abused.
He must also pay Tesco £125 compensation as a result of the goods he stole which were not recovered Muir will be on the Sex Offender Register for five years.
