Man found guilty of groping woman after Celtic title celebrations

A man has been found guilty of groping a woman after Celtic title celebrations in Glasgow last year.

Shaun Rae, 42, preyed on the 28-year-old woman at Barrowlands Park near Glasgow city centre on May 18 2024.

Rae initially groped the woman on the buttocks which put her in a state of fear.

He then went on to swipe the woman's legs away which caused her to fall.

Rae, of the city's Summerston, denied the allegations and claimed that if there was contact it would have been a "glance."

Rae was found guilty of sexual assault and resisting arrest after a trial at Glasgow Sheriff Court.

Sheriff David Taylor told Rae that the woman gave "strong and very credible" evidence while the attacker's was "unreliable."

Hundreds of Celtic fans gathered in and around the city centre on the afternoon of the incident to celebrate the club's league title win.

The victim went to the party with friends but had become separated from them when "steaming drunk" Rae appeared.

Rae asked her where she was from and told her where he lived.

Prosecutor Ross Canning asked the woman in her evidence how she felt and she replied: "Quite intimidated as I don't talk to strangers."

The woman went on to tell the court how Rae "grabbed me on the bum cheek."

She said: "He was right beside me as he was speaking to me and I remember being grabbed - there was no one around me."

When asked how she felt about that incident, the woman replied: "Scared - it was a random man grabbing me."

She stated that she told Rae to "f*** off" while he was standing on the step in front of her.

The woman added: "He grabbed me by the leg and I went up in the air."

She stated that she cried and was in pain which she described as "excruciating."

The woman claimed that nearby police officers attended the scene and spoke to him.

Harvie Diamond, defending, put it to the woman that his client fell and grabbed her as he was drunk.

She replied: "Definitely not - he grabbed me and after I told him to f**** off he grabbed me by the foot - these were two different times."

The woman's friend Douglas Crawford, 42, told the court in his evidence that he saw Rae "swipe" her foot.

He said: "She was lying on the ground and he was standing over her. He ended up on the ground as well."

Rae told the court in his evidence that the woman crossed his path and they "came together."

He said: "Maybe when I fell my hand glanced her but I jumped up right away."

The hearing was told that Rae went on to resist arrest and told police: "Is this because I said I would s*** her?"

Sentence was deferred pending background reports until next month. Rae was granted bail meantime.

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