Former TV presenter John Leslie has been cleared of sexual assault.
The charge was found not proven in a trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today, one year after the accusations were made.
Leslie, 53, was accused of putting his hand down a woman’s trousers and touching her bottom as they danced at her hen night in Atik nightclub in Edinburgh last June.
Appearing under his real name, John Stott, he had denied the charge, which was found not proven by Sheriff Adrian Cottam on Friday after a two-day trial.
During the trial, the Leslie was described as a ‘perfect gentleman’ on the night in question.
Club DJ Nicholas Mowat, 50, who has been friends with Leslie since high school, said he saw Leslie dancing ballroom-style with the bride-to-be, who cannot be named for legal reasons, from his DJ booth that night.
Giving evidence at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, Mr Mowat said: ‘John was just pirouetting… John had his hands on the back of the bride and he was a perfect gentleman, dancing around the dancefloor as normal.
‘I didn’t see any signs of her being distressed with him or being anxious to get away from him in any way.’
He said he had a good view of the dancefloor from his elevated DJ booth and when the song ended Leslie kissed the woman on cheek and walked off.
He added: ‘I wasn’t 100% on them but I would have noticed if there was some problem or if I needed to call a door steward over which I never saw at at all.’
The court also heard from the bride-to-be’s friend who said she felt the way Leslie was touching her friend was ‘inappropriate’ and she looked ‘scared’.
She said: ‘They were dancing and I could see he had his hand on her lower back which I felt was inappropriate, I would have felt uncomfortable if it was me.
‘The next time I looked up I couldn’t see his hand any more. I could only see the top of his wrist. It was at the top of her tutu.
‘At this point she looked scared.’
She said she cut in and danced with her friend, who initially said she was fine but then started crying and later reported the incident to the police, despite having not wanting to at first.
Under cross examination by defence lawyer Derek Ogg QC, she denied having any prejudices against Leslie, saying she did not know who he was.
Questioned if the position of his hand is appropriate for a ballroom dance style hold, she said: ‘I don’t think it is appropriate for hands to be placed on lower backs.
‘I knew that my friend was about to get married and I didn’t think that dancing with this person, the way he had his hand on her, I didn’t think it was appropriate.’
She denied telling the bride-to-be something inappropriate had happened rather than the other way round.
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