A former oil and gas worker has been placed on the sex offenders register after he sexually abused two girls.
Pensioner Richard Mearns appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and admitted abusing one teenage girl and another when she was as young as six.
His vile actions were only discovered when one of the girls confided in the other and it was revealed that the 74-year-old had sexually abused them both.
The court heard Mearns tried to brush off one of the sexual assaults by claiming he had been tickling the girl, while on another occasion he placed his hand inside the child’s underwear.
One of his victims described being devastated by Mearns’ actions, stating that her “body feels different” since the attack.
Fiscal depute Dylan Middleton told the court that on the evening of July 5 last year, one of the girls, who was aged 17 at the time, had been complaining of a sore foot, which Mearns offered to “rub” for her.
“The accused then began rubbing her feet and legs,” he said.
“He also made a comment about her shaving her legs and said something similar to ‘at your age you don’t need to’.”
Mearns then began squeezing the girl’s inner thigh, which made her feel “uncomfortable”, before moving his hand up her leg and sexually assaulting her.
Mr Middleton said the girl “froze for around 10 to 15 seconds” before moving Mearns’ hand away and placing her hair over her face to hide the fact that she was crying.
The court heard that the girl then drove to the home of the other victim to tell her what happened and she disclosed that Mearns had also sexually assaulted her when she was a child.
It was stated that Mearns abused the second girl on an occasion between September 2006 and November 2010 when she was between six and 10 years old.
The fiscal said that Mearns had placed his hand inside the child’s underwear where he touched her naked body.
During a subsequent police interview, Mearns admitted that he may have touched the girl on her private parts but said he “did not remember” doing it.
In the dock, Mearns pleaded guilty to one charge of using lewd, indecent and libidinous practices against a child and a further charge of sexual assault.
‘Impact on victims will be long-lasting’
Defence solicitor Gregor Kelly told the court that the revelations of these sexual assaults had “ripped” his client’s life “asunder”.
He added that Mearns “has always admitted his guilt in this matter and he categorically accepts his actions”.
“It’s clear that these were two intentional acts and Mr Mearns has to pay the price for that,” he said.
“He knows that these are serious matters and that the impact on the two victims will be long-lasting.”
Sheriff Andrew Miller told Mearns that, despite the fact that he has no previous convictions, the court had to impose an “element of punishment” in order to “mark the serious nature of these offences”.
As an alternative to a prison sentence, Sheriff Andrew Miller handed Mearns a community payback order with supervision and ordered him to take part in a sex offenders programme.
He also placed Mearns, of Westhill Grange, Westhill, on the sex offenders register for two years.
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