Glasgow man in court accused of approaching schoolgirl in lane

Adnan Ahmed, 37, denies 18 charges at Glasgow Sheriff Court which include behaving in a threatening and abusive manner, as well as sexual assault.

Glasgow Sheriff Court
Published 17th Sep 2019
Last updated 17th Sep 2019

A man who approached a schoolgirl in a secluded lane asked if she was married and suggested going for coffee, a court heard.

The witness, who was 17 at the time, said the man told her she “looked pretty” and made her feel “uncomfortable.”

Another teenager also told jurors that he approached her in the same lane.

Adnan Ahmed, 37, denies 18 charges at Glasgow Sheriff Court which include behaving in a threatening and abusive manner, as well as sexual assault.

The offences are alleged to have occurred in Glasgow city centre and Uddingston between May 2016 and January this year.

The first alleged victim, now aged 20, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told jurors that an “Asian man” named ‘Addy’ approached her on her way to school in 2016.

The woman said: “He asked me if I was at school and what I was doing at school.

“He was asking if I had a boyfriend and I said no.”

The woman said they got to the end of the lane before ‘Addy’ grabbed her hand.

She said: “He asked me if I was married as I was wearing a ring but not on my wedding ring finger.

“I said no and walked away.

“He then asked for my number and wanted to know if I wanted to go for coffee - I said no.”

The woman then walked “quickly” towards school where she told friends and teachers about the incident.

She added that the conversation made her feel “uncomfortable.”

The second witness,, who was 16 at the time and is now 19, said an “Asian man” approached her on the lane.

She said: “He said: ‘Hi I’m Addy what’s your name and started asking general questions and chatting.

“I was really surprised as I didn't know there was anyone behind me so I didn’t go into much detail.

“I didn’t really know what to do in the situation, he spoke about my school day and subjects.”

The girl said she felt “intimidated” by ‘Addy’ and “couldn’t not reply” to him.

The pair parted ways at the end of the lane and the girl walked towards her school.

She said: “I wanted to go to school as I was quite shaken up by that point and wanted to make sure I wasn’t walking on my own anymore.”

A third witness, a student told the court a “dark male” followed her through a shopping mall in Glasgow.

The 21-year-old female, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said that the man had also asked her for her number the previous year.

In 2016, the female said she was tapped on the arm and refused his advances.

She told jurors: “He told me that I was too pretty to make him walk back.”

In 2017, the woman said the man followed her from college into Buchanan Galleries in Glasgow city centre.

The man had his hood up and followed her from nearby Buchanan Bus Station.

The woman described the man as being a “dark male whose nose was quite large.”

She added: “I felt that I was being followed so I went into Boots to lose him.

“He was walking really quickly and really quite close to me."

She claimed that the man laughed at her and made an “inappropriate comment.'

He also asked for her phone number which she refused to hand over.

The trial continues before Sheriff Lindsay Wood.