A predatory sex pest who followed a stranger home and sexually assaulted her claimed “women should not be walking around on their own”.
Almeida Fernandes bought the woman a rose around 3am in the city centre before following the increasingly frightened woman and grabbing her by the waist.
The 43-year-old repeatedly told the woman “I come home with you”, despite her firm protestations and even continued to tail her when her boyfriend arrived to escort her home.
Fernandes, of Sinclair Road, Aberdeen, claimed that in Kurdistan, where he is originally from, women should not be walking around in public unaccompanied.
‘Incident must have been very frightening for the complainer’
He pled guilty to a charge of sexual assault at an earlier hearing when full details of the offence, which happened on November 12 2022, were narrated to Aberdeen Sheriff Court.
Now, at the sentencing hearing, defence agent Mike Monro said there had been a “lack of consequential thinking” from his client.
He said: “We have this rather strange and unusual scenario of a man who lives in Torry being in town and coming out of a licenced premises on Bridge Street and the easiest thing in the world would be to turn right towards Torry.
“He sees this lady who he’s never seen before in his life. He thinks she’s been drinking but I accept she’d been working.
“He follows her and gives her a flower from a flower seller.”
Fernandes then followed the woman past the theatre and onto George Street.
Mr Monro went on: “The complainer’s now contacted her boyfriend.
“He follows even when she’s with him, going onto Ash-Hill Road – that’s no less than five miles from his own home.
“It’s just absolutely bizarre behaviour.
“In the social work report, he maintains that in his part of the world, women should not be walking around on their own.
“I’ve said to the accused that society in this country is such that yes they do.
“It creates a situation that, if he is still of that view, it could be viewed that he’s a risk to women walking around the streets of Aberdeen because they could be followed by him.
‘I do not accept that you simply wanted to see this lady home safely’
“I warned him of that and he just has to accept that you just don’t do that.”
The solicitor added that Fernandes planned to return to Kurdistan.
Sheriff Lesley Johnston told Fernandes: “I’m in no doubt that this whole incident must have been very frightening for the complainer.
“She was so alarmed by your actions that she contacted her partner who, on hearing her panic, walked to meet her on her way home.
“Even on him arriving, you continued in pursuit of the complainer.
“I do not accept that you simply wanted to see this lady home safely.
“You had no means of commutating that intention given the language barrier.
Placed on sex offenders register
“You now accept that you were intoxicated. On seeing her you bought her a flower in the city centre and it’s clear to me you were actively pursuing this young woman, going on to touch her in the manner to which you pled guilty.”
Sheriff Johnson said she felt the offence met the threshold for a prison sentence but, highlighting his lack of record and guidelines against short jail sentences, imposed an alternative.
She ordered Fernandes to complete 180 hours of unpaid work and be supervised for a year.
He was also placed on the sex offenders register for a year.
For all the latest court cases in Aberdeen as well as crime and breaking incidents, join our Facebook group.
