A FLASHER who was snared after having his picture taken by photography students at Powmill’s Devonshaw Quarry chased them to try and grab the camera back.

Ewan Brand, 49, chased the terrified girls after exposing himself to them in a disused quarry where they were compiling a portfolio of photographs.

Last week, Brand was placed on the Sex Offenders Register and put on probation for three years, as well as being ordered to pay his victims £250 each in compensation.

Perth Sheriff Court was told police were quickly able to identify Brand, who works as a mole catcher, from the pictures which had been taken on one of the girl’s digital cameras.

The court was told that Brand had initially approached and asked the girls to take his photo – before dropping his trousers a short time later to expose himself.

Sheriff Lindsay Foulis said: “The girls were clearly considerably distressed as a result of your behaviour.

“This goes further than just exposing yourself to two girls.”

Brand chased the girls and caught up with one when one of her shoes fell off. He then tried to wrestle her mobile phone from her hand as she frantically called her brother for help.

Brand grabbed the other girl and tried to wrench the camera out of her hand as he knew it contained a picture of him which she had taken minutes earlier.

The court heard how the girls, both 17, had gone to Devonshaw Quarry in Powmill, near Dollar, on June 7 to take artistic photographs for a university application.

Fiscal depute Janine Bates said: “One of the girls was hoping to do a photography course.

“As part of the entrance requirements she had to complete a portfolio of images.

“She decided to take some pictures at the quarry.

“They were approached by the accused who demanded they take a picture of him.

“He asked initially but when they refused he became more aggressive until she took his photograph. He then asked her to take a picture of him naked which she refused.

“They made their way to the exit of the quarry.

“They consciously walked away from the accused as they noticed he was removing his belt.”

The court heard Brand stripped off his jeans and underpants to expose himself and shouted to the teenagers:  “How about this then?”

The girls started to run off but were chased by Brand, who caught up with one of them when she stopped to collect her shoe which had fallen off. She called her brother and was “screaming hysterically” as Brand tried to rip the mobile phone from her grasp and switch it off.

“He then tried to take hold of the camera which was round the other girl’s neck and began pulling at it in an attempt to remove the film,” Miss Bates said.

“During the struggle a pair of binoculars fell from inside the accused’s jacket and this distracted him enough for both witnesses to run off again.”

When the police were contacted the memory card from the digital camera was used to print out pictures – and Brand was quickly identified by local residents.

During a police interview, Brand admitted that his photo would be on the camera and that he had dropped his trousers out of “total stupidity.”

He added: “It’s usually a bit of fun. They were wearing next to nothing. Why do women go like that?

“It was not sexually motivated. I didn’t have my trousers down when I was running after them.”

Brand of Cottage 2, Barnhill Farm, Kinross, admitted breaching the peace by approaching the girls and asking them to take a picture of him while he was naked.

He admitted exposing himself before chasing after the girls and trying to take a
camera and a mobile phone.

Solicitor Rosemary Scott, defending, said: “He maintains that he does not know why he behaved in this manner and very much regrets it.

“It was not difficult to trace him because the girls had a photograph of him and he is known in the area.

“It didn’t take long to trace him.”

	11-01-2010 09:38
	A stupid mistake that puts him on the sex offender list probably till death. His family will have to live with this misbehavior becoming the ridicule of others in the community.

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	12-01-2010 22:06
	RF Johns what u on man, he flashed at school girls, there is no excuse for that

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	29-01-2010 13:51
	I agree with Keving. Stupid mistake it was not!! Nothing would stop me from causing serious damage to anyone approaching my kids like that. His family are the ones who need the sympathy.

anon