Girl left 'ashamed and embarrassed' after sexual assault in Edinburgh property

Christopher Cooney grabbed the child’s hand after asking her to treat the skin condition by applying ointment to his legs.

Cooney, 38, then waited four years before attacking the child for a second time after he plied her with alcohol during a visit to his Edinburgh home.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard Cooney gave the girl bottles of Smirnoff Ice before placing his hand inside the girl’s underwear.

The victim was said to been left “ashamed and embarrassed” by Cooney’s assaults but bravely told a family member about the abuse last year.

Cooney is now facing a jail sentence after he pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting the girl on two occasions when he appeared at the capital court on Thursday.

Prosecutor Anna Chisholm said the girl was just nine years old at the time of the first attack during a visit to Cooney’s home on an occasion between 2010 and 2012.

Ms Chisholm said: “She was at the locus and walked into the accused’s bedroom. She found the accused lying naked and face up in his bed.

“The accused suffered from eczema at the time and the complainer recalls he asked her to rub cream on his inner thighs and over the top of his leg.

“The complainer agreed to do this. But whilst she was doing this the accused took hold of her hand."

The court heard the girl “didn't know what to do” and Cooney kept her hand on his genitals around 30 seconds later before moving it away.

The youngster later said she did not tell anyone as she felt “ashamed and embarrassed” by what had Cooney had done to her.

The schoolgirl then suffered a second sexual assault by Cooney around four years later during a visit to his home with her parents’ permission.

During the visit Cooney gave the child several bottles of Smirnoff Ice before they watched a film together.

The fiscal depute told the court the girl began feeling “uncomfortable” when Cooney lay down beside her on the couch.

The court heard a horrific sex attack on the child lasted around 30 seconds and afterwards Cooney “didn't say anything and acted like nothing had happened”.

Ms Chisholm added: “The complainer lay there for ten minutes in shock and unable to move.”

The fiscal said the girl bravely confided in a family member in April last year but recalling the attacks had left her “very upset and was hyperventilating”.

Sheriff Donald Corke placed Cooney on the Sex Offenders Register and released him on bail.

Sentence was deferred to next month for reports.

Cooney pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a girl, aged nine, between December 1, 2010 and September 20, 2012.

He also admitted to sexually penetrating the vagina of a girl, aged 13, between August 1 and 30, 2016.