Man raped 14-year-old girl in Nando's after lying about his age

An attacker raped a teenage girl in a Nando’s restaurant after lying about his age.

Liam Burns forced himself on the 14-year-old girl in a toilet at the restaurant in St Andrews in March 2022.

Burns was 20 at the time, but claimed he was 18, having met the victim online.

He later confessed on social media to her what he had done, admitting he was “disgusting”.

Burns has now pled guilty to raping the girl during an appearance at the High Court in Glasgow.

He is due to be sentenced next month.

The pair had been exchanging messages before Burns suggested they meet in person. They later met at the local Nando’s restuarant where Burns pestered her to go into a toilet cubicle with him.

She did not want to, but walked with him towards where it was.

Burns then ushered her into a cubicle and locked the door. He soon went on to expose himself and then eventually raped the teenager.

The young victim described feeling “uncomfortable” and “panicked”.

Burns called her derogatory names, such as “b***h” and “s**t”.

Prosecutor Graeme Jessop KC: “The incident came to an end when a waitress had become suspicious about their length of absence from the restaurant table.”

The staff member found the pair, and the girl claimed she was “okay”.

But, afterwards, the court heard she felt “distressed and humiliated” by what happened.

Mr Jessop said: “She did not want him to do these sexual things to her, but she felt she had no choice once in the cubicle.”

The pair, however, remained in contact and Burns again persuaded her to meet, this time elsewhere in Fife.

Burns later went on to slap the girl across the face, spat on her and made “sexual advances”.

He inappropriately touched the teenager and tried to have sex with her.

The court heard how she pleaded with him to stop, but he refused.

After this incident, Burns was confronted by another person about what he had done to the girl.

He stated he “knew” she was only 14 and confessed that he had “raped” her.

Burns contacted her on Facebook in 2023 and admitted what he had done.

He stated at one stage: “I am sorry for what I did to you. I took advantage of you and made you feel vulnerable when that was wrong for me to do.

“In truth, I was 20. It is disgusting what I done.”