A mother has lashed out against a “scumbag” driving instructor who sexually assaulted her 17-year-old daughter during lessons.
Findlay Munro, 62, preyed on teenage girls learning to drive in Edinburgh, touching them and making inappropriate comments.
The pervert repeatedly targeted four victims while alone in his car with them before a police investigation landed him in court.
Munro pled guilty to four offences and is due to be sentenced at the city’s sheriff court next month.
The mum of one victim paid for her daughter to receive weekly two-hour lessons from Munro when he was an instructor through Red Driving School.
She said: “She came back after the first lesson and told me Munro called all his pupils his ‘girlfriends’. I thought it was bizarre, but my daughter said it was fine, she just wanted to pass her test.
“Looking back, she would get really, really anxious before every lesson but I put it down to nerves.
“Then another girl said police were speaking to Munro’s pupils and my daughter said some things had happened to her.
“I got her to write it down, because it was difficult for her. It was awful to read. I was so angry and contacted the police myself to report it.
“Every week Munro made comments about her appearance, saying she was beautiful, sexy and asking why she didn’t have a boyfriend.
“One time she made a driving mistake and he patted her leg then it went further into her leg. She froze and didn’t know what to do.
“Another time he took her mask off and told her she was beautiful and stroked her hair.
“She had about 30 lessons and said something happened every time.
“She wore jogging bottoms and jumpers to lessons, even in hot weather, because she didn’t want to show any skin.”
The mother said she’d met Munro and was worried by his “vibe” but thought she was being an “anxious mum”.
She added: “It’s been hell. It’s caused my daughter to have anxiety attacks. She’s fearful of bumping into him in the street.
“We had to find a female driving instructor because she wouldn’t get in the car with a man.
“I contacted Red and they were horrified. I was told they dismissed Munro on the day he was charged by police.
“The police told me he’d been a driving instructor for 11 years and they’re sure these girls can’t have been the only victims.
“Munro is an absolute scumbag. He’s a horrible person.”
Last month Munro pled guilty to sexually assaulting the teen on various occasions on Edinburgh roads between December 2020 and August last year by touching her on the head and rubbing her thigh.
The Crown accepted his not guilty plea over a charge of making comments about her appearance, her mother, and her relationship status for the purposes of sexual gratification, or of humiliating, distressing or alarming her.
Munro admitted making comments about another pupil’s appearance and referring to her in inappropriate terms between September 2017 and October 2019.
He also pled guilty to making comments about a third victim’s appearance and personal relationships on various occasions between August 2020 and August last year.
Munro admitted sexually assaulting a fourth victim on various occasions between February and June last year by touching her on the hand, legs and bottom.
Munro, of the city’s Baberton area, appeared at court on Wenesday for sentencing but it was deferred for further reports.
Red were approached for comment.
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