Cleaner says she was stalked on CCTV by security guard

A SECURITY guard at one of Edinburgh's best-known visitor attractions used CCTV cameras to stalk a young female worker and spy on the public.

James Tuff used the camera system at Our Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh, to track his victim and then radio her with lewd comments.

He even trained the cameras on members of the public milling about outside, in one case saving footage of two girls kissing to show to colleagues.

Tuff eventually sexually assaulted Dora Alves inside the attraction, which pulls in more than 500,000 visitors a year.

He was fined and placed on the sex offenders register for three years.

The case has come to light only because Ms Alves, 26, is now battling Our Dynamic Earth at an employment tribunal, claiming sexual discrimination.

Ms Alves, from Portugal, told the hearing in Edinburgh that Tuff used the CCTV cameras to track her through the building as she did her cleaning job.

She said: "At first it was just the odd comment about my body; he would say things about me having a real woman's body compared to Scottish women.

"But soon after he would appear out of nowhere when I was cleaning in the toilets.

"The cubicles are very small and I would only notice he was there when I would turn around and knock into him at the door.

"And when I cleaned the Biosphere, where functions were held, I would often have to kneel or bend down to Hoover under the tables and suddenly he would be there.

"The only way he could know where I was would be to follow me on the cameras."

Ms Alves, who has waived her right to anonymity, told the tribunal she would listen to music while cleaning on night shifts.

"One time I was dancing around while I was polishing and he came on the radio saying he liked how I shook my bum. I realised he was watching me. I was terrified."

She said the final straw came as she walked to the canteen on her break and stopped to collect something from her locker. "Mr Tuff came out of his office and grabbed me from behind.

"I can still feel it now, exactly what he did to me."

She said CCTV footage which could have proved the incident took place had gone missing.

Ms Alves also alleged that Tuff called her into his office to show her CCTV videos he had saved of members of the public outside the building.

The first showed two girls kissing. The other was of a young girl - who she guessed was about 16 - building a makeshift tent next to Our Dynamic Earth at night. She said: "He asked me if I thought she was a lesbian and told me he thought I should go get her."

The hearing was adjourned by employment judge Stewart Watt until the beginning of next month.

Tuff, who is in his early fifties, was found guilty of assault at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last year, fined 500 and placed on the sex offenders register for three years. He resigned from his post following his conviction.