Locations
East Kilbride, Lanarkshire
Description
A trade union boss who was convicted of a series of sexual assaults on a woman dodged a jail sentence today. A court heard that Unison regional organiser Gerry Crawley was wearing a dress and French knickers when he performed a sex act in front of the shocked woman
He squeezed the same woman's bottom as they chatted with football fans in a packed bar ahead of the Scottish Cup final. Married Crawley, 60, whose union duties involve representing police and fire service workers, was found guilty of sexually assaulting the woman on various occasions between January 2016 and July 2018.
Sheriff Thomas Millar also convicted him of performing a sex act in front of the woman at her home in 2018. After studying background reports, the sheriff put him under social work supervision for 12 months.
He will be on the sex offenders’ register for the same period. Crawley, a former Labour councillor, of East Kilbride, Lanarkshire, had denied both charges.
Describing the incident at her home, the woman, now aged 37, said Crawley visited when she was alone. She told Hamilton Sheriff Court: "He asked to see my pants. I was wearing leggings and he said he would show me his pants instead.
"He had white French knickers on. They were laced and partially see through. "He asked if I would touch them and I said no. He asked again and I touched the side of them, hoping he would then go."
But, the woman said, Crawley didn't leave and instead carried out a sex act, leaving her "shocked, frightened and panicked". She told prosecutor John Coogan: "I was standing against the banister in the hall. I couldn't go anywhere.
"Then he went to the toilet before leaving quite quickly." Asked if she reported the incident at the time, the woman replied: "No. I thought it was something I could compartmentalise, put in a box and not think about."
The woman also told of an incident in a bar in Battlefield, Glasgow, on the day of the Celtic-Aberdeen Scottish Cup final in 2017. She said: "Gerry had tickets and we went for a drink before walking to Hampden.
"The bar was very busy with Aberdeen fans. Gerry put his hand down the back of my pants. "I was talking to an Aberdeen fan. I think I asked Gerry to stop but it must have gone on for five minutes or so.
"He was touching and squeezing my bottom. I was shocked because it was a public place." The woman also alleged during her evidence that Crawley acted inappropriately towards her on two other occasions, once in a house and once in a taxi.
The woman claimed Crawley touched her private parts while in a taxi with other passengers including her husband, and later texted her to ask if she had liked it. She told the court the incident had left her feeling “dirty and embarrassed”.
Questioned by defence advocate Patricia Bailey, the witness denied having a romantic relationship with Crawley in which she was the “dominant” partner. She rejected a defence suggestion that they had an arrangement where Crawley would visit her home regularly to clean while wearing women’s clothing.
The woman said: “It happened once. I thought it would be a useful outlet for him. Mostly he just wanted to talk about pants.” Ms Bailey also put it to the witness that she and Crawley would touch each other’s pants and private parts, and this was consensual behaviour.
She replied: “No. That’s absolutely wrong.” Giving evidence, Crawley insisted none of the assaults happened.
He said: "We had a relationship involving consensual touching etc etc. I would touch her underwear and her bottom."It was always after I had been round at her house cleaning. I would be dressed up in ladies' clothing. It happened on dozens of occasions."
Crawley claimed he had asked the woman's permission before putting his hand inside her jeans in the pub on the day of the cup final. But the court also heard from Crawley's daughter that he had confessed to having an "inappropriate" relationship with the woman.
Finding him guilty, Sheriff Millar said it appeared the woman had "accommodated your interests" to a certain extent. But the sheriff added: "She said she was not comfortable and I accept there were other incidents that went beyond what she was prepared to consent to."