A GREENOCK man has been cleared of sexually assaulting two young women at a house party in the town after telling the sheriff court the charges against him were ‘nothing short of preposterous’.
Jonathan Adams, 36, had been accused of targeting two women – one of whom was described in court papers as being under the age of 18 at the time – at an address on Woodhead Road on April 30, 2022.
It was alleged that Mr Adams seized the youngest complainer by the breasts and pulled her body towards his, as well as intentionally exposed his genitals to her.
A further charge alleged that he sexually assaulted the second woman by seizing her clothing and exposing her breasts.
At a previous hearing at Greenock Sheriff Court, the complainers and another witness explained that they had been at the property with others to view a wedding video.
READ MORE: Greenock man stands trial accused of sexual assaults
The court heard that the youngest complainer had been consuming alcohol before attending, and whilst at, the property.
She claimed Mr Adams had performed a solo sex act in the upstairs bathroom while looking at her, before later ‘grabbing’ her bottom as he left the house to get into a taxi.
The woman later attended Greenock police office to report the alleged incident on May 2, 2022.
The court was shown footage from Mr Adams’ police interview, in which he denied the accusations made against him.
During the 50-minute interview, he said he had the ‘odd conversation’ with the two complainers – noting that he did so with most people at the house party.
Mr Adams described himself as being ‘merry’ during the gathering, but not ‘drunk’.
He said he was not alone with the younger complainer that evening ‘bar literally two seconds’ when he was entering the bathroom and she was at the door of a nearby bedroom.
Mr Adams also denied leaving the bathroom door open at that time.
He told officers: “I don’t know if this is a cry for attention. It’s scandalous.
“It can be career ending, relationship ending, life ending.
“So many things to me don’t make sense. The fact that it’s got to this extent – I’m amazed.”
A police witness who was present during Mr Adams’ interview told the court that he had spoken ‘freely’ to officers and answered all questions.
Mr Adams had contact with a solicitor prior to his interview and was advised to offer no comment.
Giving evidence before Sheriff Colin Pettigrew, he said: “I didn’t see the point in that.
“I had nothing to hide. I just wanted my story out there.”
Asked what his thoughts on the allegations were, Mr Adams added: “Nothing short of preposterous.”
Before delivering his verdict, Sheriff Pettigrew said: “One thing I can be certain of is everyone had far too much to drink – yourself included.
“The young girls certainly had too much to drink.”
He found Mr Adams not guilty of the three charges of sexual assault.
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