Edinburgh man who groped schoolgirl as she made her way home spared custodial sentence

Andrej Palicjuk, 36, pounced on the child by grabbing her buttocks near her to her home in the Leith area of the capital in May last year.

The distraught schoolgirl made her way home before breaking down and telling her parents about the sex attack on her. Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told the child has been left traumatised by the incident and is now “scared to death” to go outside on her own.

Palicjuk denied intentionally groping the youngster and claimed he had only intended to pinch her arm as a joke but a sheriff failed to believe his version and found him guilty following a trial.

Andrej Palijcuk, 36, pictured outside Edinburgh Sheriff Court. | Alexander Lawrie

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The young victim bravely gave evidence from behind a screen and told the court she and her sister encountered Palicjuk outside a block of flats in the city at around 1pm on May 3 last year.

She said she was walking into the tenement and noticed Palicjuk following behind her before she said he reached out and “touched my butt”. She described the touch as “a grab” and told the court the contact lasted for several seconds before he let go.

The school pupil said the incident made her feel “horrible” and the police were contacted after she had gone home and broken down in tears while telling her father what had happened.

The girl’s father told the trial his daughter arrived home from school as normal but noticed she was “very quiet” and had gone straight to her bedroom. The dad said his tearful daughter later told him Palicjuk, who has since moved to London from Leith, Edinburgh, had “grabbed her bottom” as she made her way home from school.

The dad said: “My daughter is scared to death now. She is even scared to go to the shops.”

Palicjuk claimed he had only meant to touch her on the arm in a jokey manner and denied he had acted inappropriately towards the child.

He said: “I intended just to pinch her on the elbow but not to harm her. I reached out as we walked through the door but I didn’t look [at her]. I was looking forward. But I can’t confirm what part of the body I touched as it was dark.”

Sheriff Peter Anderson said he had found the child to be “responsible and careful” in giving her evidence and she did “not try to elaborate” what had happened her.

Sentence had been deferred and Palicjuk returned to the dock today, Monday, March 3, where Sheriff Anderson noted the social work report stated he “did not have any acceptance” for what he did.

The sheriff said: “Let me emphasise to you, this was a very serious. You saw yourself the level of distress and upset caused to the girl’s father and to the girl herself. This was not just some slight unimportant matter, but you caused great damage and great harm by your actions.”

The sheriff said he was “just persuaded” not to impose custody and Palicjuk was was placed on a 24 month supervision order and will have to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work. He was also placed on the sex offenders register for five years.