A WEST FIFE man has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old boy by groping his private parts.

The incident occurred in the early hours of the morning in the Rosyth back garden of Brian Simpkins, who had earlier been joined by the boy and his dad on a mild summer’s night.

However, when the boy’s dad left, Simpkins grabbed the youth’s penis and testicles, a court heard.

The boy responded by punching Simpkins several times then going home and telling his parents what had happened.

Brian Simpkins, 51, of Parkside Street, was found guilty after a trial at Dunfermline Sheriff Court.

He was convicted of a charge that on June 9, at his home in Parkside Street, he sexually assaulted a boy, then aged 16, by touching him on the body and seizing him by the penis and testicles.

The boy told the court Simpkins had placed his hand on his leg, pushed up his shorts then touched his private parts.

He said he had been so shocked by Simpkins’ action that he punched him two or three times then left.

Simpkins told the court his version of events. He said he was having a drink in his back garden on a summer’s night and was joined there by the boy and his dad.

After the dad had left, Simpkins said he had a chat with the boy talking to him about apprenticeships and giving him one of his cigars.

By this time, it was about 4am, and Simpkins said that when the boy started feeling cold he asked him to move over and sit beside him.

“There was some cigar debris on his shorts and legs and I wiped it off,” said the witness.

He claimed nothing was said about this by the boy, who continued to chat until leaving about 10 minutes later.

Simpkins said he had then gone for a walk in the park behind his home and was attacked by the boy’s dad.

Simpkins, a production manager at Rosyth Dockyard, said his wife had gone to work at about four in the morning, before he was assaulted.

Simpkins claimed he had not reported this assault to the police because he was “too scared”.

However, depute fiscal Azrah Yousaf said to him: “You’ve concocted this story because you felt him up. You saw your opportunity to have a quick grope. You thought you could get away with it.”

He denied that but Ms Yousaf told Simpkins: “This story you’ve concocted is almost laughable. You’ve told nothing but lies in court.”

Sheriff Charles MacNair said: “I do believe that the boy went back to his parents in a very distressed state.”

He told Simpkins he did not believe his evidence and found him guilty.

The sheriff called for reports and sentencing will take place on October 31. Simpkins was placed on the sex offenders’ register.