An “Iron Man” Police Scotland gun cop who sexually assaulted a 24 year old Good Samaritan who had brought him home after a stag night was spared jail today after a sheriff dismissed the incident as “an aberration”.
Roderick Keith, 51, once commended by his chief constable for his bravery, kissed the man on the head before shoving his hand down his boxers and then pretending to be asleep.
His victim fled in horror after the incident, and went to the home of relatives nearby and told them what Keith had done.
He had earlier taken Keith back to Keith’s home, in Grangemouth, Stirlingshire, after finding the officer sitting alone and staring into space in a Falkirk sports bar at 3.00am.
Falkirk Sheriff Court heard he knew and “looked up” to the hero cop, a married triathlete father-of-two and Iron Man competitor who was a Police Scotland firearms officer for 11 years.
Keith had guzzled at least eight pints of Guinness during a seven-and-a-half hour drinking session at the stag do, for another police officer, at the town’s Thirsty Cow pub and later at the nearby Sportsters bar where his victim found him – and was so concerned about his state he took him home.
They were let in by Keith’s wife, who then went to bed.
Keith and his victim then sat on the sofa, where the incident occurred.
Keith, of Bo’ness Road, Grangemouth, was found guilty in July of sexually assaulting the man in the alleged incident, which occurred on December 9, 2018.
He had denied the charge.
Sheriff John Mundy said he believed the victim – but after reading a social worker’s background report he said he accepted the author’s description of the incident as “an aberration”.
Placing Keith on supervision for nine months under a community payback order, and his name on the sex offenders’ register for the same period, the sheriff also referred to a sheaf of glowing references handed to the bench by the defence.
He said: “Clearly this is a serious matter, and one has to consider the effect that it had on this young man, who must have suffered considerable emotional distress.
“I’m prepared to go along with the description of this incident as an aberration.
“Taking account of the numerous very good testimonials of your character, I am prepared to deal with this matter in a non-custodial way and will impose a direct alternative to imprisonment.”
During a three-day trial, which started in January, then had to be adjourned for months due to the coronavirus pandemic, Keith’s victim told the court he must have fallen asleep before Keith assaulted him.
He said: “I woke up because I felt movement in my groin area. I moved his arm away with my elbow but I thought I must have been dreaming.
“I questioned it for a few seconds before I fell asleep again.”
He said then he woke up lying on his back being sexually assaulted by Keith, “underneath his boxers”.
The witness said he stood up and looked at Keith and saw one of his eyes open slightly “to see what I was doing” before shutting it and pretending to be asleep.
He left the house and went to his uncle and aunt’s home nearby and told the couple what had happened.
The victim, a father-of-one, said “disbelief had turned to anger” about what Keith had done.
He said he “felt like a little boy, ashamed and scared … vulnerable and stripped” and had been left severely anxious and with depression, unable to work.
Keith flatly denied what he had done.
He insisted: “As far as I’m concerned I didn’t do this. He’s lying.
“I’m not gay for a start. I’m happily married.”
Keith is currently suspended from the Police Service of Scotland, and will face disciplinary action.
His solicitor Gordon Williams told the court: “There is no doubt he will pay, in due course, a high price for this conviction.”
Keith refused to comment after the case.
A spokesman for Police Scotland said: “We are aware of the outcome of the case and a report will be made to the Assistant Chief Constable Professionalism and Assurance for consideration of conduct proceedings.
-- to www.dailyrecord.co.uk
