Man convicted over sexual assaults of women in Nairn
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
A married father of two sexually assaulted several women over a period of 13 months in Nairn
A jury at Inverness Sheriff Court convicted 43-year-old Christiano Ferreira of five of the six charges against him today.
Sheriff Margaret Neilson immediately placed the Portguese national, now living in France, on the Sex Offenders’ Register.
He will re-appear for sentencing on September 12 after a background report has been prepared.
No application was made for bail by his defence advocate, Bill Adam, and he was remanded in custody meantime.
During the four-day trial the court heard that Ferreira would repeatedly grab the bottoms of his victims, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and try to kiss or cuddle them, all without their consent.
The offences were carried out between June 2014 and July 2015.
One young woman told the court how she was locked in a cupboard and then sexually assaulted by Ferreira.
After the incident, she said, she phoned her boyfriend in a distressed state and told him what had happened.
The man, who also cannot be named for legal reasons, said: “She was very upset, crying.
“She said that Christiano touched her under her trousers.
“I said if you don’t report it, I will.”
In his defence Ferreira had insisted that the act was consensual.
He said he and the woman had fondled each other’s private parts on July 5, 2015.
Having denied the incident took place at all when questioned about it by police he claimed this was because he had been worried about his wife finding out what he had done.
Another woman told the court she was a target of Ferreira’s unwanted attention on numerous occasions between March and July 2015.
She told the jury: “He squeezed my bum quite a lot of times.
“He tried to kiss me and on another occasion...he pushed up against me and said something like ‘the things I would do to you.’”
She added: “He used to laugh and I always got angry.”
A third victim, aged 24, said: “There were a few incidents where he inappropriately touched me, grabbing my bottom several times saying that he wanted to be with me and not his wife.
“He would put his arms around me to cuddle me.
“There was no reason for it.”
All the guilty verdicts were reached by majority but the jury were unanimous in finding Ferreira not guilty of a charge where he was alleged to have assaulted a fifth woman by seizing her by the body and pulling her towards him.
After the verdicts were delivered it was revealed that Ferreira had one previous conviction of a domestic nature.
No further details were given.
