A chef who carried out a sex attack on a woman at the popular pub where he worked was spared jail over the attack this week - after a court heard he’d been sacked.

Martin Burke, 54, groped the woman, who can’t be named for legal reasons, at the Abbey Inn - where he was the Head Chef - in Paisley.

Burke pounced on the woman, who is now 20 but was 19 at the time, at the Barrhead Road boozer on July 16, 2017.

He went on trial at Paisley Sheriff Court in May facing a single charge under Section 3 of the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009.

He denied sexually assaulting the woman by placing his hands under her clothing, against her will, touching her breasts, and pressing and rubbing his hand on top of her trousers, over her groin area.

But after the woman gave evidence, Burke pleaded guilty to the charge against him after prosecutors deleted claims he had rubbed his hand over her groin.

Sheriff Tom McCartney called for Burke to be assessed by social workers to assess his risk of future offending ahead of sentencing, and adjourned the case for that to be done.

Burke was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 18 months, meaning he has to notify police of all his bank cards and any time he changes address.