A teenager who shared a bed with his football coach has told a court it made him feel “uncomfortable” but conceded “in terms of doing anything sexual, he never crossed that line”.
The witness was giving evidence on the second day of the trial involving former Highland football coach Mark McAuley at Inverness Sheriff Court.
The now 19-year-old told a jury that he had shared a bed with McAuley when staying at his home – an arrangement he now considered “a bit weird”.
McAuley, 33, denies nine charges, involving four boys, alleged to have taken place between 2016 and 2019.
He is accused of sexually assaulting two boys under the age of 13 and two charges of engaging in sexual activity with boys under the age of 16.
He also faces three charges of directing a verbal sexual communication to a child and one of causing a child to hear a verbal sexual communication, as well as a single charge of causing a child to look at a sexual image.
The offences are alleged to have taken place at addresses in Tain, Dunfermline and Edinburgh, as well as in a vehicle on the A9 and elsewhere.
‘There was nothing sinister going on’
The jury was also shown a video of a police interview with McAuley, of Pitdinnie Place, Dunfermline, where he admitted to officers that he had shared his bed with the boys.
He denied there had been any sexual contact with the boys saying: “I was looking after them, I did nothing sinister.
“I understand how it can seem, but there was nothing sinister going on.”
Asked if he regretted his behaviour with the children, he said: “Sitting here now absolutely I regret it. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.”
Taking to the stand the teenager explained that he had got to know the accused through his sports coaching.
In evidence led by fiscal dispute Susan Love he said: “At the time I really liked Mark. He helped me improve football, he would give me one-to-one sessions and that. At the time I thought it was a good relationship.”
‘An adult shouldn’t be doing that with kids’
The court heard that McAuley developed a friendship with the boy’s mother and would sometimes have him for overnight stays if she was away.
“Looking back now, knowing what I know, I think the way he was with me and others was a bit weird – an adult shouldn’t be doing that with kids,” the witness told the court.
He described staying at McAuley’s home with a second alleged victim, who gave his evidence yesterday, and both boys had shared the bed with the then 20-something coach.
He said on one occasion the coach had also massaged him on the thighs and hip for around five minutes making him feel “uncomfortable”.
“He said it would make my legs feel better,” he said.
‘He never crossed the line’
Asked by defence counsel Wendy Culross if Mark had ever “crossed a line” or did “anything inappropriate,” the witness replied: “He stayed in a bed with me. In terms of anything sexual he never crossed that line.”
The witness’s mother also gave evidence today, and told the court that her son had “a lot of respect for Mark”.
“If Mark asked him to do something he would do it,” she said.
But she revealed that latterly her son had become reluctant to spend time with the coach, telling her: “I don’t want to go, I don’t want to stay there.”
It was revealed that she had later questioned her son about McAuley’s behaviour when she learned that an allegation had been made against him, but the boy had seemed unaware of any issues.
The trial, before Sheriff Eilidh MacDonald, continues.
