A PENSIONER who sexually assaulted a police constable during a disturbance outside Hawick Police Station has had his name placed on the sexual offenders register.

Seventy-two-year-old Patrick Lyden, of Laing Terrace, grabbed hold of the officer’s genitals during a drunken struggle.

He also admitted two other charges of police assault and also a charge of threatening or abusive behaviour at the station and also at Borders General Hospital on March 7 last year.

Drew Long, prosecuting, said the incident began at around 3.50pm when a taxi driver turned up at Hawick Police Station looking for assistance with an intoxicated male who was in the back of his vehicle.

He described how the driver had picked him up from a local public house but could not get him to leave the car and two officers went outside to assist.

One of the officers tried to take hold of Lyden’s wallet to ascertain his identity, but he retaliated by attempted to strike him and it was the same with another constable who intervened.

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Attempts to speak to Lyden proved impossible as he was incoherent and an ambulance was called which arrived at 4.30pm.

The ambulance staff and police officers tried to get him out of the taxi and onto a trolley for the ambulance and it was during this that Lyden – who was abusive to them and struggling at the time – reached out and grabbed one of the officer’s genitals and then asked him if he would like him to touch his private parts.

Lyden was thereafter handcuffed and taken to Borders General Hospital. He was not charged because of the state of his intoxication.

Defence lawyer Ross Dow told Jedburgh Sheriff Court his client could not remember anything about the incident.

Sheriff Peter Paterson deferred sentence for the production of a Criminal Justice Social Work Report and a Restriction of Liberty Order assessment.

He added that due to the nature of the sexual assault on the officer, Lyden would now be made subject to the notification requirements of the Sexual Offences Act.