A married man is behind bars today after he stalked a woman as she walked home from an Aberdeen nightclub before sexually assaulting her in the street.
Robert Angus tailed the lone female after she left Babylon nightclub in the early hours of the morning then grabbed her from behind and tackled her to the ground.
The 52-year-old then sexually assaulted the woman, whose screams were accidentally recorded in a text message she was in the middle of sending to friends.
The deviant husband was cleared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court of a second charge alleging he had instructed his wife to wash clothing to destroy evidence of the attack.
Fiscal depute Rebecca Thompson told the court the woman had been out socialising with friends in Aberdeen city centre during the evening of Saturday, October 23 2021.
Around 3am the next day she left Babylon nightclub on Alford Place and walked onto Holburn Street.
A driver sitting on Justice Mill Lane at the junction with Holburn Street spotted Angus following the woman and thought it looked suspicious.
Ms Thompson said: “Due to the manner of the accused, the witness assessed this to be suspicious and drove onto Holburn Street and thereafter circled the car round and observed that the accused was now closer to the complainer and still following her.
“The complainer was unaware of the accused’s presence.”
As the woman walked onto Ashvale Place, Angus was seen to pause, look around and then continue to follow her.
Terrifying attack on Ashvale Place, Aberdeen
Detailing the physical and sexual assault, the fiscal depute said Angus grabbed the woman from behind with both arms and “tackled her to the ground”.
She landed on her back on the cobbled street and Angus “straddled” her before pulling up the front of her dress and sexually assaulting her.
Ms Thompson told the court: “During this, the complainer screamed and shouted at the accused to ‘get away’ and ‘don’t touch me’.”
The woman, who had been using her phone to message friends, accidentally recorded audio of her screaming during the attack, the court was told.
After around a minute, Angus got off the woman and walked off towards Holburn Street.
As the woman began to run away, the passerby, who by this time had circled his vehicle at the end of Ashvale Place, saw her crying and offered assistance.
He also saw Angus walk off towards Holburn Street.
Predator Robert Angus remanded in custody
Following a major police investigation, which saw Ashvale Place sealed off for many hours, Angus was identified from CCTV as well as card transactions from nearby establishments.
Angus, of Crawton Ness, Cove, pled guilty to a charge of sexual assault to injury.
The charge had originally alleged that Angus also attempted to rape the woman, but this aspect was deleted.
Prosecutors also accepted his not guilty plea to a charge of attempting to defeat the ends of justice.
That charge had alleged Angus removed the fur lining of a jacket he’d been wearing and washed or instructed his wife to wash clothing to “destroy or conceal evidence”.
Sheriff Graham Buchanan deferred sentence on Angus for reports to be prepared and remanded him in custody in the meantime.
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