A “lonely old man” sexually assaulted two women who took pity on him in a Buckie pub.
The women thought James Farquhar, 69, of Crown Terrace, Portgordon, was just a lonely pensioner, but he turned out to be a convicted sex offender who went on to target them as well.
Farquhar appeared by video link from Inverness Prison to admit both sex offences which occurred in the bar and a Buckie house on November 4, 2021.
Inverness Sheriff Court was told that the women got chatting to Farquhar on November 1 and regarded him as “a lonely old man”.
Behaviour continued as Farquhar got drunker
They agreed to meet him again in the same pub a few days later. But when he sat beside them, he began groping them both, touching their thighs and attempting to place his hand inside the jacket of one.
Sheriff Eilidh Macdonald was told that the women, although uncomfortable, laughed it off and accompanied him to a house in Buckie to socialise more.
However, Farquhar’s indecent behaviour continued as he got more and more drunk and he attempted to kiss the other woman, hold her hand, and then placed his mouth and tongue on her face.
He also repeatedly touched the thigh of his first victim.
They reported it to police and Farquhar was arrested.
Defence solicitor advocate Mike Chapman asked the court to deal with his client straight away, but Sheriff Macdonald wanted to know more about him.
She called for a background report and deferred sentence until May 31. Farquhar was again remanded in custody.
