Man who walked around Stirling Uni library naked fined £600 for '˜dare'

A man has been fined £600 after he admitted walking around naked in a university library.

Stirling University. Picture: Donald Macleod

Neil Cox, 27, sat on a chair on the third floor of Stirling University library wearing nothing but a snood to cover his face, and then browsed books on the shelves. But he exposed himself in view of a female library user, who was “shocked and alarmed” and reported him to security.

Stirling Sheriff Court was told the incident, on the evening of 24 January, was not sexual but the result of a dare.

Cox, who pleaded not guilty to a charge of indecent exposure at an earlier hearing, had been due to appear for trial next week. But yesterday he admitted an amended charge of public indecency for which he received the fine.

The court heard that Cox, an actuary who lives in Bristol, had flown to Scotland to go hillwalking in the Cairngorms.

A dare was hatched with a female friend south of the Border challenging them to be “naked in a library for the duration of a song”.

On his way back from the hills, Cox “spontaneously” chose Stirling University library.

He chose what he considered a “secluded” area and filmed himself as evidence.

Sheriff Chris Shead said: “The circumstances are clearly unusual.”