News / Teen admits string of offences
A YOUNG man from Lerwick whose “extremely bizarre behaviour” resulted in him crashing a car before sexually assaulting two women is due to learn his fate in August after admitting a string of offences.
Shaun Penders, of North Lochside, was seen walking around wearing only boxer shorts and a jacket in the early hours of the morning after the accident near Tingwall on 8 July.
Lerwick Sheriff Court heard on Wednesday that the 19-year-old then sexually assaulted two women who had stopped to help.
Procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie said that Penders was “clearly under the influence of a substance other than alcohol”.
Penders admitted driving the vehicle on the A970 near Tingwall on 8 July while uninsured and while being a holder of a provisional licence when not accompanied by a qualified driver, and not displaying L plates.
He pleaded also guilty to driving the vehicle while unfit through drink or drugs.
The teenager admitted driving the car dangerously, also on the A970 near Tingwall on 8 July, and driving while under the influence of an illegal substance and with no lights on during the hours of darkness, losing control while attempting to overtake another vehicle before colliding with it and damaging it.
Penders also pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a woman at the A970 near Tingwall, also on 8 July, by handling her breast.
He further admitted a charge of assaulting another woman by seizing hold of her neck and compressing it.
Penders pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting the same woman by making sexual remarks to her and handling her breast, buttock and face.
Finally, Penders admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner at the Gilbert Bain Hospital in Lerwick on 8 July by making sexual remarks to police officers.
Not guilty pleas on taking a car without the owner’s consent, failing to report an accident and exposing his genitals to a woman were accepted by the fiscal.
Mackenzie said Penders attempted to overtake another vehicle at around 2am before losing control and colliding with the other car.
Both vehicles left the road and ended up in a field, causing £450 worth of damage to fencing.
Another car arrived on the scene to assist, but at that point Penders was walking around the road aimlessly with no trousers or shoes on.
A woman driving a taxi also stopped, but the 19-year-old got into the passenger’s side and asked to be driven home.
Penders reached over and sexually assaulted the woman, who then asked him to leave the vehicle and after seeing the other people involved in the accident, called the police.
Mackenzie said another car happened upon the scene and drove up behind Penders, who got into the back seat.
He asked to be taken to Lerwick, but the driver said she was going north to Voe – with Penders saying that was fine.
The teenager then exited the vehicle and began sprinting up the road, Mackenzie said, and the vehicle caught up with him out of concern.
Penders then asked the female driver if he could kiss her, mentioning “more explicit” things too, before assaulting her.
The police then attended the scene, as did Penders’ father, who had been concerned about his son’s whereabouts.
The 19-year-old was taken to hospital by police, but he made “fairly explicit sexual remarks” to female officers. Penders told the police he had taken 12 tabs of LSD.
Mackenzie said it was “incredibly good fortune” that neither Penders nor anyone else was “seriously injured or killed” in the incident.
Sheriff Ian Cruickshank decided to adjourn the matter until 30 August to obtain a criminal justice social work report, with Penders’ defence due to give representation then.
He was made subject to notification requirements under the sexual offences act and was disqualified from driving in the interim.
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