AYR SEX OFFENDER STEFAN MCGREGOR HARASSES CO-WORKERS AT LOCAL SUPERMARKET
In September 2019, a man from Ayr named Stefan McGregor was subjected to legal action following a series of disturbing incidents involving sexual harassment and assault against his colleagues at a local supermarket.McGregor, residing on Hillfoot Road in Ayr, was found guilty of multiple charges related to inappropriate and predatory behavior towards women he worked with at the Asda store.
McGregor, aged 28 at the time, was dismissed from his position after allegations surfaced that he had groped female coworkers and made lewd sexual remarks towards them.
The most serious incident involved him unzipping his trousers in front of one woman after inappropriately touching her, and then attempting to put his arms around her in a manner that was clearly intended to intimidate and sexually harass.
He appeared before Ayr Sheriff Court on Tuesday, August 27, where he pleaded guilty to six charges.
His guilty plea spared the victims the trauma of reliving their experiences in court, but it also meant that he faced the possibility of a custodial sentence.
The court heard that McGregor’s misconduct began in August 2018 and persisted over several months, during which he targeted multiple women who were his colleagues.
Further allegations revealed that McGregor’s misconduct extended to a 17-year-old victim in June of the same year.
The indictment detailed that he repeatedly assaulted her by slapping her bottom, grabbing her, and making degrading sexual remarks about her physical appearance.
The court was informed that he had also asked her for sex acts and engaged in repeated inappropriate touching, including fondling her bottom.
McGregor’s solicitor, Quinton Muir, explained to the court that his client chose to plead guilty to prevent the victims from having to relive their trauma through a trial.
Muir acknowledged that McGregor had lost his job as a consequence of his actions and emphasized that he had no previous criminal convictions.
The solicitor also noted that the report prepared for sentencing contained frank disclosures from McGregor himself, providing a detailed account of his behavior.
He further stated that all victims were adult women who had worked with McGregor and were former colleagues.
Muir expressed regret that the misconduct was not challenged earlier, which might have prevented the escalation of these events within the workplace.
During sentencing, Sheriff Liam Murphy addressed McGregor directly, warning him that a custodial sentence was a real possibility given the severity and number of the offences.
The sheriff highlighted that despite the victims’ rejection of his advances, McGregor continued to harass them in a sexually explicit manner.
Recognizing McGregor’s guilty plea, lack of prior convictions, and his age, the sheriff took these factors into account, along with the fact that he had accepted responsibility early on, which spared the victims from further trauma in court.
Ultimately, McGregor was sentenced to perform unpaid work and was placed on the sex offenders register for three years, ensuring that he remains under supervision and monitoring for the foreseeable future.
