Teen too scared to enter Redcar in case she sees man who sexually assaulted her in public park

A teen has been left terrified to enter a Teesside town in case she sees the man who sexually assaulted her in a public park.

The 17-year-old was groped on a bench on the junction of Corporation Road and Locke Park, near Redcar and Cleveland College, by Paul Owen in June.

Owen, 38, initially denied groping the teenage girl, claiming he was so drunk he couldn’t remember the sexual assault.

But before a trial last month, Owen changed his plea to guilty but maintained he had no recollection of the evening.

Teesside Magistrates’ Court heard a statement yesterday in which the victim described how the assault had left her terrified of meeting Owen again.

Reading the victim’s words, Joanne Hesse, prosecuting, said: “When the incident occurred, it didn’t sink in at the time. I was in shock.

“It was only after speaking to my mum that things started sinking in.

“I felt disgusting and violated.

“It’s not fair and it’s not right that this man can behave like he has.

“If I’m out on the streets, I’m terrified that I will see this man again. What if he can remember my face?

“I will not go into Redcar on my own. I’m cautious about men I don’t know.”

Last month the court heard how Owen sat next to the victim, who was with a friend, on a bench and produced a pack of condoms and said “do you want some of this?”.

Owen then went on to assault the girl.

Amy Dixon, defending, said Owen was “a man of good character with no previous convictions against him”.

“It has been difficult for Mr Owen to come to terms with his offending behaviour,” she said.

“I spoke with him in detail before that trial. As a result he had to accept that this young lady would not have made up these allegations against him.

“He couldn’t remember the evening in question. That is incredibly difficult for him to come to terms with.

“What he has always said is that he couldn’t believe he had acted in that way.”

Sentencing Owen, bench chairman, Alan Duckling, said that aggravating features included the age of the victim, the fact that the assault happened in a public place and that Owen had touched the victim three times.

Mr Duckling did however note that Owen was of previous good character, had no previous convictions and gave some credit for his guilty plea on the day of his trial.

Owen, of Oak Road, Redcar, was given a 24 month supervision order, a £110 fine, a £60 victim surcharge and £300 in compensation to the victim.

He was also ordered to pay £300 in costs for the trial that had been arranged following his previous not guilty plea.

Owen is now a registered sex offender subject to a notification requirement for five years.