A Bulgarian man has been found guilty of assaulting a 12-year-old girl during an incident in the Lochee area of Dundee last year.
Ilia Belov, 22, was also convicted of behaving in a “threatening or abusive manner” towards four girls, all of whom were aged between 12 and 14. The trial at Dundee Sheriff Court heard that on 23 August 2025 the 12-year-old was walking with a group of girls on their way to a bus stop when Belov made sexual remarks to her.
Giving evidence by video-link, the girl – who is now 13 – recalled: “He kept saying, ‘come here sexy. I will show you how to have a good time’.” She told the court his words made her feel “dead angry”, and she turned around and began shouting at him.
Belov then phoned his sister, Nadjedzha Belova, who arrived shortly afterwards and began attacking a 13-year-old member of the group. In the ensuing fracas, Belov pushed the 12-year-old, who said she hit her head on a metal handrail as she fell to the ground. After standing back up she pulled out an axe and a knife she said had been hidden in her waistband for five to ten minutes before the incident. She said after revealing the weapons she was “basically sat holding them”, explaining she “knew” Belov would “try to go for (the other girl)”. When police arrived minutes later, the girl said she dumped the weapons on a nearby roundabout, where they were later recovered by officers.
Giving evidence with the assistance of a Bulgarian interpreter, Belov claimed he had pushed the girl in order to protect his sister after seeing she had a knife hidden under her T‑shirt. He also denied having made sexualised remarks to the girls, telling the court they had been saying derogatory things to him, including calling him a “f****** migrant”.
Nadjedzha Belova earlier pleaded guilty to one charge of assaulting a 13-year-old girl in the same incident.
Sheriff rejects defendant’s account as ‘neither credible nor reliable’
Sheriff Timothy Niven-Smith rejected Belov’s version of events, describing it as “neither credible nor reliable”. He told Belov: “For a number of reasons I find your evidence to be wholly unconvincing and self-serving. It is, as was suggested by the prosecution, a revisionist or excuse.” The sheriff highlighted a central inconsistency in Belov’s defence: “It is a curious set of circumstances that having been alerted to (a girl) in possession of a knife… having pushed the person in possession of the knife to the ground, you turn your back upon her. It is not for me to speculate, but common sense would suggest that if someone had a knife you would pay particular attention to the individual with (it), for fear that they attack you with it.”
The sheriff said the girl’s evidence was supported by that of two other members of the group and by CCTV footage of the incident that was shown to the court. He told Belov: “I am entirely satisfied by proof beyond reasonable doubt that the trigger for all of this were the comments that you made. I accept that as a result of the comments you made abuse was directed at you, which included swear words, including you being called a ‘f****** creep and an immigrant’. The words of the children were eloquent to describe your behaviour given your age and their respective ages.”
He went on: “Having made the sexual remarks to the children you then, enraged by the fact that they became angry and started shouting abuse at you, followed them.” Rather than leave the area or call the police, the sheriff noted, Belov instead called his sister, who “immediately on arrival engaged in attacking one of the females”. The sheriff also rejected Belov’s claim that he had seen a knife under the girl’s T‑shirt before pushing her, stating: “I am entirely satisfied… taking (the girls’ evidence) together with the video footage, that you assaulted (the girl).”
The incident received widespread online attention after footage of the 12-year-old girl wielding an axe and a knife went viral. Figures including Elon Musk and Tommy Robinson amplified the story, with some spreading misinformation that Belov was an “illegal immigrant”. Police Scotland stated that their investigation found no evidence to support those allegations, confirming the man in the video was a Bulgarian national who had lived in Dundee since 2021. A 12-year-old girl was separately charged with possession of offensive weapons and referred to the children’s reporter; Sheriff Niven-Smith lectured her on the dangers of carrying weapons, telling her there is no such thing as a defensive weapon in law.
Belov, who appeared in court dressed in black trousers and a white puffer jacket, showed no reaction as the verdicts were handed down. He and his sister are due to be sentenced on 5 August 2026.
