Ian Scargall 'woos' supermarket attendant by asking for her underwear. CREDIT: Wikimedia Commons/Ronline

A 58-year-old man, Ian Scargall, has been tried in court for giving an envelopeto a supermarket attendant for her to put her dirty underwear in. Scargall has admitted to a single count of stalking when he appeared in court this week; he has also admitted to developing an attraction to the married woman and has repeatedly tried to catch her attention by going through her clearance lane every time he went to Woolworth Store in Carrum Downs. This period lasted for a total of three years eventually culminating to the alarming incident.

It was also in the checkout counter that Scargall gave the female employee an envelope with his name and address and proceeded to make his lewd request. According to testimony, the woman immediately reported the incident to her supervisor and has since felt a deep discomfort and fear concerning her work area. It was also revealed that among Scargall's advances were commenting on the woman's husband, staring at her for a prolonged period of time and the aforementioned incident-- all of this is an attempt to 'woo' the victim. Understandably, the unnamed female employee has been reluctant to go back to work, fearing an encounter with the perpetrator again.

Juliet Hardy, the representative for Scargall, admitted that while the incident itself may be interpreted as threatening and disturbing, the fact he was unsuccessful in his pursuit meant that no harm was truly done. "It is a rather unusual incidence of offending. There is a discrepancy between how the victim felt and what Mr. Scargall intended," said Hardy to the media.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Scargall has also expressed deep shame and repentance after the incident, stating that he did not know how his actions would upset the supermarket attendant. In his reasoning, he believed that his actions were simply a part of the courting ritual that he was undertaking. "He did not understand there was a lack of mutual interest and he persisted with his attempts to try and woo her," his representative also added.

Magistrate Fiona Stewart handed an order of 18-months in community corrections which will include mental health treatment.