Man with interest in underage girls jailed for breaching restraining orders

Saturday 30 June 2018

A 20-year-old man with "a track record of contacting underage girls and suggesting sexual contact" has been jailed for two years after he breached a restraining order within days of being released from prison.

In December 2016 Benjamin Paton was sentenced to 33 months in prison by Guernsey's Royal Court for indecent assaults and making threats to kill a 14-year-old with whom he had fathered a child.

The girl was not the only underage female Paton had been involved with. In December 2015, he was found by a caretaker in Highlands College with a 12-year-old girl, having spent the night on the premises. The girl denied any sexual contact but attended Brook Clinic later the same day for the morning after pill. He was also seen kissing a 15-year-old around Springfield Stadium in March 2016.

Crown Advocate Richard Pedley, who was setting out the case for the prosecution, said: "In short, the Defendant has a track record of contacting underage girls and suggesting sexual contact."

The Court heard that Paton was transferred from Guernsey to HMP La Moye in February 2017 and released on licence on 28 March 2018. The day after, interim restrictive orders where put in place preventing him from any contact with any child and requiring that he notified the Police of any change of address. 

Pictured: Paton was released from La Moye on 28 March 2018.

On 3 April, Paton met a group of people at Snow Hill, including three toddlers and a 13-year-old girl, known to the Probation Service and considered to be vulnerable. He told them he was not allowed to be alone with children under 16 unless an appropriate adult was present. He explained it was because he had been prosecuted for having sexual relations with a 15-year-old girl when he was 16. Crown Advocate Pedley said: "This is not true, as their respective ages were 14 and 18 when sexual relations began." 

One of the women allowed him to stay the night at her home. Paton ended up sleeping on opposite ends of the sofa with the 13-year-old girl. The girl said nothing had happened and that he hadn't made her feel uncomfortable. The same thing happened the following day. 

The Probation Officer was eventually told that Paton had not stayed at the shelter as planned for two nights. Paton said he had been walking the streets and denied having slept at the woman's home or meeting with the 13-year-old. Although he was instructed not to, Paton returned to the address and was in the company of several children including the girl. He was arrested on suspicion of breaching his orders on 6 April. 

The Court heard that Paton had been assessed at a high risk of sexual reoffending. 

The Crown Advocate said Paton had not shown any remorse and had a long record of breaching court orders. He moved for a 30-month prison sentence. 

Pictured: Paton was told not to have any contact with any child.

Advocate James Bell, defending, said that Paton had already served his punishment for the matters which led to the restraining orders. He said: "He made a very serious serious error of judgment when he made contact with people and with children... and stayed at an unapproved address for a couple of nights. He should have complied with the orders. He knows in future he has to comply with orders."

Advocate Bell said that upon his release, Paton stayed at the Shelter where one man made threats against him. He therefore met up with an adult friend who said he could stay with her family. "He did not expect for them to arrive with children in tow. He accepts it would have been better to walk away," said the advocate.

Pictured: Deputy Bailiff Tim Le Cocq sentenced Paton to two years in prison.

The Deputy Bailiff, Tim Le Cocq, who was sitting with Jurats Elizabeth Dulake and Geoffrey Grime, told Paton that he had not shown any remorse or empathy for his victims. He added: "You breached the restraining orders within days of your release... We don't accept you don't understand the nature of the orders... You don't any respect for the orders of the court, which are made to protect vulnerable children from you."

He noted Paton's guilty plea and the mitigation set out by Advocate James Bell but said a custodial sentence was appropriate. 

He ordered for Paton's name to appear on the Sex Offenders' Register for at least five years. He also imposed restraining orders for eight years and seven days. They prevent Paton from contacting the mother of his child, and from having contact with a child under 16, unless an appropriate adult aware of sufficient details of Paton's conviction and reconviction is present. The Deputy Bailiff said the adult needed "to understand the risk Paton poses to a child."