Shoe fetish man tagged for attack

Mark Barrie admitted spending hours looking in the windows of shoe shops

A man with a shoe fetish who ripped a high heel from a teenager's foot has been electronically tagged.

Mark Barrie, 35, from Perth, will wear the device on his ankle for three months and will not be allowed out between 2200 BST and 1000 BST.

He was also placed on probation and his name has been added to the sex offenders register.

Barrie admitted attacking the 18-year-old in January because he was "sexually excited" by the footwear.

He targeted her in broad daylight in front of other shoppers in Perth.

He claimed he had gone into a "trance" before pouncing on his victim and lying on the ground with his arms locked around her ankles.

'Out of character'

Barrie grabbed one of her shoes but dropped it and ran off when the teenager screamed for help.

After a fairly lengthy police interview he eventually admitted that he was the man responsible.

The kitchen-fitter previously revealed at Perth Sheriff Court that he would spend hours gazing in the windows of shoe shops.

When he was asked if his fetish was sexual, Barrie replied: "Yes, it does stem from that. It's obvious people like what they like - and this is part of my psyche."

Solicitor Ross Porter, defending, had told the court that Barrie had a long-term girlfriend and had acted "out of character" by grabbing the teenager.

He added that his client wanted to express how sorry he was for the attack.