MAN WHO SEXUALLY ASSAULTED TWO WOMEN SPARED JAIL SENTENCE
A man from the county who was convicted by a jury of sexually assaulting two women has been registered as a sex offender and is permanently barred from contacting his victims.Liam Henderson assaulted his first victim by touching her breasts over her clothing during an incident at Seton Sands Holiday Village near Port Seton on June 15, 2019.
Following this, Henderson, aged 27, committed two more attacks on a second woman over five days at different locations in Midlothian.
He sexually assaulted her by stroking her leg and repeatedly touching her breasts over her clothing at a property in Penicuik, as well as during a car ride on February 11 and 12, 2023.
Additionally, Henderson, of Riverside Drive, Haddington, assaulted her again by pinning her to a bed and attempting to kiss her on the mouth at another Penicuik address.
He then sexually assaulted her during an incident on February 16, 2023.
Henderson was tried at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last month, maintaining his innocence initially but ultimately convicted on all three charges by the jury.
During sentencing on Monday, Sheriff Matthew Auchincloss decided against a prison sentence, opting instead for a direct alternative order.
Henderson will be under social work supervision for the next three years and required to complete the maximum of 300 hours of unpaid community service.
The sheriff also ordered him to be listed on the sex offenders' register for five years and issued two non-harassment orders banning any contact with the victims indefinitely.