Shop worker denies sexual assaults on 8 women in stores

Andrew Docherty (28) faces a total of 18 charges, including allegations of rape, assault with intent to rape, sexual assault, assault and breach of the peace involving 12 different women .

Docherty, of Hay Fleming Avenue, St Andrews, in Fife, is accused of committing offences between 2007 and 2015 at store premises in Fife and at addresses in Glenrothes and St Andrews.

He has lodged special defences to four of the charges, including the single rape allegation, maintaining that any sexual activity was consensual. He has denied the charges.

One 25-year-old woman told the High Court in Edinburgh that she had worked at a supermarket where Docherty was also employed and said that in the beginning it was OK and they were colleagues and friends.

But she told advocate depute Jo MacDonald that changed. She said there was “quite a lot of banter” among staff but he started to take it too far. The woman said that Docherty had asked her for oral sex and threesomes.

She said that in April 2015 she was working a back shift and had a lot of work to do and was under stress.

She said she had gone into a back room where there was no room to manoeuvre and Docherty had come in and at first gave her a hug but then slapped her backside.

She said: “When it registered it had happened I wasn’t very happy. It wasn’t until I got home that everything sunk it.”

The prosecutor asked her how she felt and she said: “Violated, not happy.”

The court heard that in a CV sent to Morrisons Docherty said he had worked as an assistant manager at Farmfoods and Home Bargains.

The trial before Lord Malcolm continues.