A FARMING student from Maybole who grabbed a girl’s breasts at a Christmas party has had his name added to the sex offenders’ register for five years.

Sexual predator Shaun Young approached the girl from behind during a drunken celebration at Oatridge Agricultural College, West Lothian, in December 2021, a court heard.

He placed both his hands around her torso, seized her by both breasts and squeezed them, Livingston Sheriff Court was told.

Young, 21, appeared for sentence on Friday after earlier pleading guilty on the morning he was due to stand trial for committing the offence at what is now known as Scotland’s Rural College.

His not guilty plea to trying to administer a substance similar to a “date-rape” drug to his victim or culpably and recklessly placing an unknown substance in her glass was accepted by the Crown.

Further charges of sexually assaulting a second girl by grabbing her breasts in the same way and exposing himself to two women with the intention that they would see his penis were also withdrawn.

None of the three female complainers involved can be identified for legal reasons.

James Walker, defending, told the court that the offence had been committed two and a half years ago while the accused was a student at the college.

He stressed that the social work background report on Young, who is now 21-years-old, was “very positive”.

Passing sentence, Sheriff James MacDonald told Young he had pleaded guilty to a single charge, which represented a “significant restriction” on the original allegations.

He said: “Had you been convicted of any or all of the offences on this original complaint you’d be going to prison today.

"However, I can step back from that having regard to the restricted plea." 

He went on: “Having heard the facts, there’s no doubt this had an impact on the complainer, and the offence meets the custodial threshold.

“However, I am satisfied that an alternative to custody is available in the form of a restriction of liberty order.”

He sentenced Young to electronic monitoring restricting him to his home address in Maybole between the hours of 9.30pm and 6.30 am for 162 days.

In addition, he said the accused would be registered as a sex offender and subject to the notification requirements of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 for the next five years.