THE trial of a health worker from Peebles has heard how he followed young girls to watch them urinate.

And one described how he touched her inappropriately.

NHS dietician Peregrine Burgess is facing a total of 28 charges involving 19 alleged victims - 15 girls and four women - at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.

The 54-year-old worked at Galashiels Health Centre, Borders General Hospital, and Hay Lodge Medical Centre in Peebles.

He was also a supervisor on the Duke of Edinburgh Awards Scheme and was a volunteer at a church youth club.

His trial began on Monday.

And so far the jury has heard from three teenagers who claim to have been victims.

A 14-year old girl described how she was sexually assaulted when she was seven or eight years old during trips to the seaside and the cinema, She described how Burgess had told her and another girl to drink plenty of water and juice before a journey to the seaside.

According to the witness, as there were no public toilets at the East Lothian beach, she had gone to do the toilet behind some trees.

And Burgess had followed her and watched as she did the toilet.

The girl also described how he had helped her get changed after swimming.

Procurator fiscal Fraser Matheson asked if there had been any contact with her body and she said Burgess touched her on both of her legs and her crotch.

How long had the contact been, she was asked? "About two minutes on my legs and on my crotch, I would say five".

Asked what part of her crotch area had been touched, she replied: "My vagina".

On the way back to Peebles, the girl said she was told she needed to go to the bathroom by Burgess, although she didn't want to.

They stopped at a lay-by and her tights were pulled down by him. He was looking at her vagina, she said, before he pulled up her tights and underwear and drove her back to his house.

She waited there for her mother and she told the court she had been terrified.

Mr Matheson asked her if she had said anything to her mother and she replied, "very little. I told her there had been a very weird experience".

On another occasion, the witness and her friend had been to a cinema in Galashiels, when, she said, Burgess put his hand halfway up her thigh, close to her hip.

"I was terrified" she said.

On the way back to Peebles, they again stopped in a lay-by where, Burgess told them, they needed to go to the toilet.

"He took down my tights and underwear and put me in a position to urinate".

"Did you see his face?" asked the Fiscal.

"Yes" was the reply. "Where was he looking?". "At my vagina".

The girl added she was "terrified and disgusted" and told her mother... "there had been some experience and I was not sure what was happening".

A further two teenagers - aged 15 and 16, have also given evidence this week.

They described that during a charity walk on the John Buchan Way between Peebles and Broughton they were followed by Burgess when they went to do the toilet behind a wall.

Sheriff Donald Corke heard there were between 10 and 15 people were on the walk, including four or five adults.

The court was told that the girls allowed the main group to go ahead to give themselves some privacy and went back to a small stone dyke.

They claim that Burgess followed them.

The 15-year old witness said she had crouched down and lowered her clothing to do the toilet.

Burgess was standing nearby and she said he told them: "Don't worry, I've seen it all before".

The 16-year old girl said Burgess was standing about two metres away from them.

"I was quite uncomfortable at the time. I thought he would have moved further away or turned away," she said "but, he was facing towards us".

Peregrine Burgess denies all 28 sexual charges involving 15 girls, aged between seven and fifteen, and four women, over an 11 year period from 2006 to 2017.

The offences are alleged to have been committed in East Lothian, the Borders and Fife.

The trial is scheduled to last for four weeks.