Heriot-Watt professor followed children in Perth pool changing room

A professor who lurked in changing rooms as children got ready for a swimming pool disco has been suspended by his university, a court has heard.

Prof Peter Ridges admitted following children around changing rooms at Perth Leisure Pool on two occasions.

Perth Sheriff Court was told that Ridges was suspended from his post at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh and faces an internal inquiry.

He was admonished by Sheriff William Gilchrist.

Ridges, 52, initially denied any offence but changed his plea to admit amended charges during the trial, after CCTV evidence was shown of him in the changing room.

He admitted following children and listening to them while they stripped and changed into swimming costumes.

The CCTV footage showed the maths professor looking at groups of children - aged from eight to 14 - before deciding which cubicle he should enter next.

When the children finished changing and exited the cubicle, Ridges was seen to exit the adjacent cubicle shortly after - wearing exactly the same swim shorts as he did when he entered.

Pool staff told the trial that they thought it highly unusual that any adult on their own would want to attend the Saturday night event which is staged for young children.

Police were called in when Ridges, from Edinburgh, turned up again to the children's disco exactly a year later and was recognised by staff.

Reception worker Fiona Pallister, 44, said: "It's the kids' disco on a Saturday night. It's full of children with loud music. Not many people come in on their own. One guy came in.

"He said he was meeting somebody down in the leisure pool, so he wanted to go down there. He just asked for a swim. I just thought it was very odd.

"It wasn't sitting right with me. My colleague came to see where he was several times that night and he was never actually in the swimming pool.

"He was just in the changing rooms the whole time and round the toilets. He came up the stairs without his shoes on. He put his shoes on and left."

She said Ridges' first visit was on 9 February 2019 and he returned on 8 February 2020 and paid to attend the swim disco on his own again.

"It was a year to the day and I was on again. He never went downstairs. He was just looking over into the leisure pool. The duty manager said to phone the police."

The court was told that Ridges disappeared into a toilet when police arrived and after "around 10 minutes" officers went in to tell him to come out.

Duty manager Susan Chmiel told the court: "We contacted the police about a gentleman who was at the pool acting suspiciously.

"We believed he was looking predominantly at girls in the changing rooms. He was wearing pretty much exactly the same as he was the previous year."

Ridges admitted two charges of conducting himself in a disorderly manner and breaching the peace by "loitering" in the changing room area in February 2019 and February 2020.

Solicitor Gary McAteer said his client had changed his plea "on the basis that charges contain no significant sexual element."

Mr McAteer said that Ridges may be on the autistic spectrum and accepted that his behaviour was "odd and eccentric."

"He has no criminal record," the lawyer said. "His intention at this time was to simply heat up after a day walking in the hills."

Sheriff William Gilchrist said a psychological report suggested he had a habit of eavesdropping on people's conversations.

"You now understand that that is not appropriate and can lead - as it did on this occasion - to you causing concern to others," he added.

"On this occasion, it led to you being charged with a criminal offence. It is accepted that there was no sexual element.

"Given your age and lack of previous convictions, I will admonish you - but this will be on your record."

A spokesperson for Heriot-Watt University confirmed the associate professor and programme director had been removed from face-to-face teaching since his arrest but was still working at the university.

They said: "We acknowledge and respect the outcome of the sheriff court case involving a member of staff. As legal proceedings have now concluded, the university will formally consider this matter and take any appropriate internal action."