Steven McGowan jailed for another five years as a result of two victims coming forward.
Press reports of a Peeping Tom’s conviction for spying on girls at a swimming pool led to him being reported to police for child abuse.
Steven McGowan was today jailed for another five years as a result of two victims coming forward.
He molested two underage schoolgirls, plying one with alcohol and cannabis and showing her adult video material, a court was told.
The 40-year-old was already serving a two-year sentence for taking, making and possessing indecent photographs of children.
The sentence was imposed by Teesside Crown Court in September last year, exposing his secret “addiction” and attraction to children.
The court heard how he slipped a mobile phone under the partition wall to take pictures of two young girls in a changing cubicle at Splash swimming baths, in Stockton.
This led police to find 5,200 child abuse images on computer equipment in his home in May 2012.
A young woman reported him to police after she saw reporting of this case in the press, said prosecutor Shaun Dodds today.
She told how McGowan abused her several years ago, when she was in her teens.
He groomed her, giving her vodka and cannabis, buying her underwear and asking her to sleep in his bed, which she declined.
She was scared during McGowan’s repeated sexual assaults on her.
The second victim was also in her teens when McGowan touched her intimately, with another child present at the time.
She recalled one painful assault, saying she was scared to react in case he might hurt her more.
He was on bail at the time for the indecent pictures charges, and he was not supposed to have unsupervised access to children.
When arrested, he said he had a bad memory but accepted the assaults “must have happened”.
He gave “ludicrous explanations” for some of the attacks, claiming he was asleep at the time and touched a girl accidentally, added Mr Dodds.
The two victims told in statements how the crimes led to stress, anxiety, flashbacks, panic attacks, shame, embarrassment, self-harm, fear going out, medication and counselling, and affected a relationship.
McGowan, of Acklam Road, Thornaby, admitted six sexual assault charges.
He made “excuses” for his actions in a pre-sentence report, said Peter Wishlade, defending.
He said McGowan pleaded guilty at the first opportunity, sparing the victims having to give evidence, and accepted he’d receive a long sentence.
He said McGowan’s own children said they had good, fun lives with their dad.
“He, by reason of this behaviour, has effectively lost those children,” added Mr Wishlade.
“He will not see them. They may have moved away. He no longer knows where they are.
“That is fairly substantial punishment of itself.
“This is his first appearance before a court for matters of sexual assault.”
Judge George Moorhouse said: “These were very, very serious offences, offences which fully justify a custodial sentence.
“You provided alcohol and cannabis. There was a degree of grooming.
“They’ve had a disastrous effect on these girls.”
He jailed Moorhouse for five years and gave him an indefinite sexual offences prevention order - his second - banning him from unsupervised contact with children under 16 and contact with the two victims.
McGowan will be on the sex offenders’ register for life.
No comments:
Post a Comment