”Low IQ” teen sent to UK therapy unit after string of beach sex assaults

Thursday 03 May 2018

A “low IQ” teenager who committed a string of seaside sexual offences within hours of each other has been ordered to complete two years of sexual misconduct therapy in the UK by Jersey's Royal Court.

The youth, who was 16 at the time of the offences, is said to struggle with “inappropriate sexualised behaviour”, and was charged with two counts of indecent assault and one of gross indecency involving three women on 7 April last year.

The assaults began at around 10:50 when the boy approached a woman sunbathing on the beach with her eight-year-old daughter. 

After kneeling down next to her, the boy told her that she was “beautiful”, requesting a hug and to touch her feet. He added that she had “nice breasts” before cupping one, allegedly “without warning.”

While he immediately apologised, telling her, “I am not going to rape you”, the Court heard that his behaviour then became “more aggressive, sexual and lecherous.” This left the mother feeling “frightened”, but she was able to use a phone call from her son as an excuse to leave. 

The teen later approached a woman in her 70s, providing her with his name, age and address as he sat next to her. She found his behaviour “sleazy”, adding that “as soon as he sat down I felt that something was wrong.” 

Pictured: Following the assaults, the teen was remanded in Greenfields for the equivalent of six months in prison.

She reported that he was “constantly trying to touch and kiss her”, at one point interlacing his fingers with hers to pull her closer before attempting to pull up her skirt. He repeatedly told her that she was beautiful, and was also reported to have asked whether she could become pregnant without having sex. 

At 14:25, he sat next to a third woman, who was wearing shorts, on a bench near Les Jardins de la Mer fountains. He introduced himself and persistently asked for a hug. When she declined, he grabbed her, “pulling her in so close their upper bodies were touching.” As she rose to retrieve her towel, he was said to have attempted to “brush” her breast.

The boy was arrested and remanded at Greenfields for 122 days – equivalent to six months’ imprisonment. He was later sent to a UK therapeutic facility that helps young men deal with sexual misconduct issues.

Among his problems were a “lack of boundaries with regard to seeking hugs”, as well as a sexual “interest in people’s feet.” He also had a low IQ and had been diagnosed with ADHD.

This led to difficulties for the Court, who were forced to decide whether the boy was mentally fit to plead guilty or not guilty – something further complicated by conflicting doctors' reports from the defence and prosecution.

Pictured: The 17-year-old was sentenced for the offences - committed aged 16 - in the Royal Court in February.

“The Court’s instinct is to question the presence of this clearly troubled young and vulnerable defendant in the criminal justice system, when it would seem clear that he needed help and was getting that help at House A, where he was well settled.  He could have an intellect consistent with a child as young as 9, set against an age of criminal responsibility of 10 years,” Commissioner Julian Clyde Smith, presiding, wrote in his judgement.

Sitting alongside Jurats Grime and Thomas, he concluded that the boy should face the Court, but with additional support. 

The 17-year-old was subsequently sentenced for the sexual assaults – but not the gross indecency charge – in the Royal Court in February.

A judgement made public this week revealed that he was handed a three-year probation order, which was conditional upon his completion of his therapy. He was also placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for a minimum of three years.

Lead photo: Fountains at the Jardin de la Mer, where one of the assaults occurred. (Wiki)