Man cleared of weighing genitals at fruit and veg counter

A man has walked free from court after being accused of weighing his genitals on fruit and vegetable scales in a supermarket in Edinburgh. Scotmid staff said they were "too shocked to speak" after apparently seeing James Jones, 33, and another man exposing themselves in the store. They claimed Mr Jones told them: "We were just trying to weigh our d***s." The father-of-three said he was drunk because he had just been paid, but denied the prank had taken place.

Shop assistant Melanie Guglielmino, 31, told court: "I was pushing my trolley from the warehouse into the aisle and I saw two guys at the scales at the fruit and veg section. One of them said: "'We are just weighing our private parts'," but he used a different word. I saw him putting it back in his trousers and closing his flies. I was too shocked to speak to any of them. I was really shocked that they said they wanted to weigh their private parts. I was quite embarrassed and I'm still embarrassed to say anything about it. I thought he was actually a nice customer before this because I had seen him before and thought he was a friendly guy."



But on being grilled by Mr Jones' defence agent Chris Fehily, she admitted there was a possibility she was mistaken. He told her: "You didn't actually see a penis though, it may have been his hand. He put something back in his trousers. It looked really not nice. I might be mistaken but I don't really think so." Following a four-hour trial, he was acquitted on Thursday at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.

Sheriff Neil MacKinnon said he was "unable to conclude that the precise act did take place" because only one eye-witness reported it. Footage from a CCTV camera in the Moredun Park Road shop was shown in court. Mr Jones was seen standing on a kick stool at a set of weighing scales, but had his back turned to the camera throughout the footage, leaving the sheriff without any corroborating evidence. Speaking after the trial Jones said: "I don't even know if I'll ever go back in that shop. They will probably bar me from it anyway."