News   /   Society

Leading royal and a relative of the Queen jailed for sexual assault

Simon Bowes-Lyon's imprisonment is a major cause of embarrassment to the UK royal family

A leading Scottish earl has been sentenced to 10 months imprisonment for sexually assaulting a woman at his hereditary fort in Angus, Scotland.

The sexual assault occurred during an event Simon Bowes-Lyon was hosting at Glamis Castle on February 12, 2020. According to information that emerged during the trial at Dundee Sheriff Court, the earl sneaked into the 26-year-old sleeping woman’s room and tried to pull off her nightdress.

Ignoring the victim’s pleas, the 34 year old Earl of Strathmore, assaulted his victim for 20 minutes.

Admitting the sexual assault, the offender confessed to be "drunk to excess" on the night of the assault.

The woman escaped the castle the next morning and reported the matter to police immediately.

The presiding judge, Sheriff Alastair Carmichael, told Bowes-Lyon that even after a year, his victim still suffers from dreadful nightmares as a result of his sexual assault.

The judge asserted that the woman (who remains anonymous) still feels panicked in every day settings before adding that the ordeal has also had a devastating “impact on her emotional wellbeing.”

In passing sentence (10 months jail time), Sheriff Carmichael said the punishment "must reflect the gravity of the crime" and that a community sentence "would not meet these requirements".  

In addition to the prison sentence, Bowes-Lyon was also placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years.

Bowes-Lyon is a great-great nephew of the Queen Mother and a son of a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. Glamis Castle, near Forfar, has been the seat of the Bowes-Lyon family since the late 14th century.   


Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk

SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Press TV News Roku