Edinburgh teenager had to jump over seat to escape soldier's top deck bus attack

A drunk soldier who carried out a sickening sex attack on a teenage girl as they traveled on the top deck of a bus has been jailed and placed on the sex offenders register.

Joape Kotobalavu, 29, sat down next to the terrified victim on the top deck of a Lothian bus and forced himself on her by kissing and licking her on the face.

The teenager, who was just 16 at the time, told a court when she pulled away from the soldier’s advances he told her “It’s not like I’m going to rape or assault you”.

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She said she was forced to jump over an empty seat in front of her as she fled from the attack by sleazy squaddie in October 2022.

The victim then broke down in tears when she phoned her mother to tell her about what had happened as she traveled between Penicuik and Loanhead in Midlothian.

Kotobalavu denied any wrongdoing and stood trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last month where he was found guilty of sexually assaulting the 16-year-old girl on October 29, 2022.

He returned to the dock for sentencing on Friday where Sheriff Kathrine Mackie was told the infantryman is also facing a court martial hearing next month in relation to a similar offence.

Senior officers, along with members of the Military Police, accompanied Kotobalavu to the court hearing where it was confirmed he will be dismissed from the British Army and deported when all matters are resolved.

Sheriff Mackie told the disgraced serviceman he had “re-traumatised” the victim by forcing her to give evidence in the trial and that he had shown “no remorse” for his actions that day.

The sheriff said she had found the complainer to be “an extremely strong individual” and commended her for not exaggerating her evidence.

Kotobalavu was jailed for 12 months and his name will be added to the sex offenders register for 10 years.

The girl bravely gave evidence from behind a screen during the trial stating the soldier struck up a conversation with her outside Glencorse Barracks in Penicuik, Midlothian, at around 4pm on October 29, 2022.

She said she could “smell the alcohol” on his breath and noticed he was slurring his words.

She got on the bus and went upstairs where she was followed by the soldier who sat down next to her despite empty seats nearby.

The girl said she told him she was 16 but he kept pestering her saying he didn’t believe her, calling her “cup cake” and that he wanted her phone number.

The trial was shown disturbing CCTV footage showing Kotobalavu touching the girl on the head and legs and leaning in to kiss and lick her on the face during the 15 minute bus journey.

She said the attack left her feeling “disgusted” and she was so scared she began recording what was happening and sent the footage to a work Snapchat group.

She said: “He was drunk and very much bigger than me, I didn’t want to aggravate him.

“I was too scared that if I said stop or no, you just don’t know where it was going to go. I was scared he would follow me.

“I look back on it and wish I had done more to stop it. I felt disgusted with myself.”

The court was told Kotobalavu was a serving soldier with the Royal Regiment of Scotland 2nd Battalion and is a Fijian national who has been in the UK since 2019.

Kotobalavu was found guilty of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl by kissing and licking her face while on board a bus between Penicuik and Loanhead, Midlothian, on October 29, 2022.