Overview
- A jury at Stirling Sheriff Court on Friday convicted 23-year-old Muhammad Sheikhi of two counts of sexual assault following a four-day trial.
- The Crown said the offences were linked and presented CCTV and doorbell footage plus audio of a distressed woman and Snapchat messages to show a single course of conduct.
- Sheikhi denied the charges in a police interview shown at trial, saying he had taken ‘pity’ on a woman and walked her home as an act of kindness and that he was merely socialising in the town.
- The sheriff ordered a pre-sentence report because Sheikhi has no previous convictions and set sentencing for June 29 at Stirling Sheriff Court.
- Reporting noted Sheikhi’s background as a 23-year-old Syrian asylum seeker staying at the Cladhan Hotel, and the court reminded jurors to decide the case solely on the evidence presented.