A DISABLED pensioner targeted schoolboys at a public toilet by exposing himself and asking them to perform sex acts.
Robert Cockburn approached the two lads, aged 12 and 14, while they used the public convenience in Musselburgh earlier this year.
Cockburn, 75, had his trousers around his knees and the cubicle door open when the boys entered the premises before asking them to perform oral sex on him.
He also approached two men and stared at them while they urinated within the same public toilet on separate occasions in August.
Cockburn repeatedly attended at the facility at the town’s Shorthope Street despite being arrested on several occasions and ordered by a court not to do so.
The pensioner appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court yesterday to plead guilty to several sexual offences and breaches of bail conditions between August 12 and 27 this year.
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Fiscal depute India McLean told the court that police received several calls from members of the public reporting Cockburn was watching men urinate within the public toilet at around noon on August 12.
Ms McLean said police arrived but the pensioner had left the area before more calls were received two days later reporting “behaviour of a similar nature”.
Police attended again and found Cockburn, of Links View, Port Seton, inside the facility but he was allowed to return to his home.
A further call from a concerned male was then received stating Cockburn had returned to the toilets and was watching the man urinate and asking the man to perform oral sex on him on August 21.
The following day Cockburn was again present at the toilet area where police attended and, after arresting the OAP, he appeared in court and was released on bail on the condition he did not attend at the public facility.
But over the course of the next week, Cockburn repeatedly flouted the bail order by turning up at the toilets and watching adult men urinate.
Ms McLean said the two schoolboys had then “attended at the public toilets” and found Cockburn inside at around 5pm on August 27 this year.
The fiscal depute said: “Mr Cockburn was within and had his trousers at his knees and his penis was exposed and he asked the boys for oral sex.”
Police were called and, when Cockburn was arrested and charged, the court was told he denied any wrongdoing.
Cockburn attended court with a nurse and was using a walking frame to aid his mobility.
Solicitor Victoria Good, defending, said she would reserve all mitigation to the sentencing hearing.
Sheriff Roderick Flinn deferred sentence to next month for the preparation of social work reports.
Cockburn admitted to several charges including loitering at the public toilets and staring at men while they urinated and offering to perform oral sex on them on several occasions between August 12 and 22 this year.
He also admitted to directing verbal sexual communications and exposing his penis to two children aged 12 and 14 on August 27.
The OAP also admitted to breaching bail conditions banning him from the public toilets on three occasions in August this year.
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