Teen ‘medically examined’ girls during fake job interviews

Wednesday 31 January 2018

A teenager who posed as a boat skipper to conduct ‘medical examinations’ on three girls during fake job interviews has narrowly avoided a jail sentence.

The 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to three counts of indecent assault. He was handed 180 hours’ community service and will appear on the Sex Offenders’ Register for five years.

He was sentenced in the Youth Court yesterday after Assistant Magistrate Peter Harris, who sat with Jean Cross and Gary Martin, heard how the he had invited a number of teenage girls to ‘job interviews’ for a boating company at the Mayfair Hotel over Facebook. 

For three of these girls, what followed were false medical examinations – one of which involved using a bicycle light in a cupboard as a fake x-ray machine.

The first victim was known to the boy. When she arrived at the hotel on 3 May, the boy told her that his boss was unable to attend. He gave her a form to fill in and told her she would have to undergo a medical examination as part of the interview process. He said that this was because a previous employee had hurt herself due to "weakness in her pelvic bones." He also told the girl he was one of two people qualified in the company to carry out the examination.

Pictured: The 17-year-old contacted his victims over Facebook to arrange fake job interviews.

The Court heard that the girl felt "trapped" to undergo the examination so she wouldn’t have to return. She was firstly told to remove her clothes and then her underwear, which she did. The boy then indecently assaulted her. He later told her on Facebook that she’d been given the job, but she said that she was no longer interested. 

The second girl arranged her meeting in the same way, despite warnings from friends that it was “dodgy.” On arrival, the boy said that he was a boat skipper, and showed her photos of a vessel. She was then asked to change into a t-shirt and jogging bottoms provided by the boy, before being told to lie on a bed.

When he attempted to lift her shirt, she put it back down. He then went underneath it and placed a stethoscope on her belly area, before touching her pelvic area and offering a full body x-ray, which she declined, stating that she would rather do so with her own GP. 

The boy told the final victim that examination was necessary because "she would need to be on her knees a lot." She was also provided with jogging bottoms and invited to undress in a cupboard where she would be ‘x-rayed’ and the scans sent to his iPad. The ‘machine’ was simply a red bicycle light attached to a handrail.

Before she had redressed herself, the boy opened the door. He told her that her pubic bone was cracked, which could be a symptom of having lots of sex. He then asked her about her sexual habits, before examining her hips, which the girl said he squeezed and pressed.

Pictured: The victims were asked to attend an interview at the Mayfair Hotel. (Google Maps)

Investigating, Police learned that the boy had contacted other girls – some of whom had attended ‘interviews’, but had not been examined.

Defending, Advocate Howard Sharp, said his client felt "shame, regret and sadness” and should be given credit for his guilty plea. He added that the boy’s offences were “out of character” for his client who had done "extraordinarily well despite difficulties at school."  Advocate Sharp added that the boy was willing to work on himself, and that he enjoyed the full support of his family.

The boy’s father described the teen as a “good lad”, adding that the family were shocked about what happened. He said that the boy had a lot of potential, and that it would be a shame to waste it.

Assistant Magistrate Harris described the case as “unusual” and said that he and the panel were “puzzled.”

"It is almost as if there is two [of you]. There is lots of positive but then there is the you who did this, with the planning and the number of victims. One of the offences was more serious than the other two, but it is wholly out of character. This is why we are struggling... It's important we do not forget the positive but we can’t ignore the bad things you have done,” he told the boy.

Pictured: Assistant Magistrate Peter Harris said the boy's offences were so serious the Youth Court considered sending the matter to Royal Court.

He continued that the girls had been “violated… physically and emotionally”, adding: “You say you didn’t really think, but you clearly did because you planned it."

Before retiring to consider their verdict, Assistant Magistrate Harris warned the boy that he had narrowly avoided jail time. He also told him the only reason the Youth Court didn't send the matter to Royal Court was because they wanted to give him credit for his guilty plea. 

The Youth Court eventually decided not to send the boy to custody, instead opting for a 180 hours’ community service – equivalent to 12 months’ imprisonment. The boy also received a restraining order against all three victims, as well as appearing on the Sex Offenders‘ Register for five years.

The Assistant Magistrate warned the boy: "Probation is here to help to guide you. Do your punishment, do your work and put it right!"