Carluke man denies indecent assaults

He also pleaded not guilty to making similar assaults on another woman ten to twelve years later.

At an interim hearing, Douglas Paterson, now 55, of Orion Way, faced the two sets of charges relating to alleged incidents so long ago that, unusually, no specific dates but estimated ones were used in the wording of the Crown’s allegations.

The second charge alleges numerous assaults on another woman within a three year period in the early part of the century.

The first charge is that, on an occasion some time between January 1, 1991 and December 31, 1991 at an address in Carluke’s Glencoe Road, he indecently assaulted a female by pushing her on the body, causing her to fall on to a bed, pull his trousers and underwear down and exposed his private parts to her and then seize her by the body and placed her hand on his exposed parts.

He pleaded not guilty to this allegation.

The second charge is that, on “numerous occasions” between January 1, 2001, and December 31, 2003, at his current home address, he indecently assaulted another woman.

He is accused of rubbing his body against hers in a sexual manner, pushing her on to a bed and lying on top of her, on one occasion pulling his trousers and underwear down to expose his private parts to her and utter sexual remarks.

The solicitor acting for Paterson, Mr Archie Hill, made the formal pleas of not guilty to both charges and asked that his client be granted bail while awaiting trial.

This application for bail was not opposed by depute fiscal Vish Kathuria but he asked Sheriff Robert Weir that, should bail be granted, certain conditions be attached to that order.

These were that Paterson should not attempt in any way to make contact with either of the women named in the charges against him.

The fiscal also asked for special permission for Paterson to be impelled to take part in an identity parade before the case proceeded to trial.

Sheriff Weir agreed to the special conditions and the indentity parade application, warning Paterson of the penalities for breaching the conditions. A trial date of July 5 was set.