May 2016

Pervert church elder found guilty of five counts of sexual assault and flashing in Dailly

As a respectable church elder and community councillor, Michael Clark acted like a pillar of society.

The married grandfather laboured over a perfect cottage garden and kept his country home near Dailly spic and span.

But the true man has been revealed as an opportunistic ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ who preyed on females who strayed across his path.

The pervert was found guilty of sexual assault and flashing at Ayr Sheriff Court last week as he stood in the dock accused of 11 crimes.

The court was told that a schoolgirl had ‘ran the fastest in her life’ to escape the lecherous 66-year-old

The jury found him guilty of luring her into his bungalow, groping her bottom and pressing himself against her in the summer of 2004.

The teenager ran off through a field but he jumped in his car and sped after her. He turned up at her home but she locked him out.

Another 55-year-old lady described Clark as “Jekyll and Hyde” and said his “circus trousers” were “always up like a big tent” .

He grabbed his crotch and pleasured himself while chatting to her over the fence.

Clark – a former church elder in Dailly and member of the village community council – also exposed himself to an elderly widow.

As she drove past his lawn he dropped his trousers, exposing his privates. In another incident, he flashed while sitting in the driving seat of his car after the 71-year-old victim came to his vehicle window.

Father-of-two Clark lived in Kilgrammie Cottage with wife Ann until 2013 before moving to Aberfeldy in Perthshire.

The former management consultant and soldier who worked at Turnberry Hotel has now been added to the sex offenders register.

His wife Ann said the accusations surprised her. She said: “It is all just very unreal.”

The sex pest struck between 2003 and 2010, mostly while gardening. He denied all accusations, claiming the teenage victim was telling a “pack of lies”. But his protests of innocence crumbled in the court room after the jury found him guilty of five charges.

The jury unanimously found him guilty of causing the 55-year-old woman to see his privates and pleasuring himself in front of her.

The father-of-two was also convicted of indecently exposing himself to the widow.

They found him guilty by majority of sexually assaulting and pursuing the school girl in 2004.

But he was cleared of groping her sister’s bottom and chest after producing evidence that he had been away from Ayrshire staying in a hotel at the time of accusation.

The jury also returned a not guilty verdict that he sexually assaulted and uttered dirty remarks to a 67-year-old lady, and four charges were found not proven.

Sheriff Desmond Leslie has deferred sentencing for reports.