A convicted sex offender who had tried to appeal his conviction through Guernsey’s Royal Court has been turned down.
James Pearson-Jump appeared in court earlier this week.
He was asking for a retrial, after he was jailed for five-years and three-months in November 2024. He had been found guilty of assaulting a child under the age of 13, and two counts of sexual touching of a child under the age of 13.
He had denied the offences but was found guilty at trial.
He had been given the right to appeal his conviction on the grounds that he had not received a fair trial because “he had no appropriate adult or intermediary to assist with communication when he gave evidence”, in October 2024.
That appeal was heard in February 2026.
The appeal court rejected his attempt to appeal his conviction, saying his crimes were “as close to ‘real evil’ as possible”.
The Court of Appeal said it considered fresh psychological evidence but held that it did not
demonstrate any unfairness in the Appellant’s trial arising from the absence of an intermediary.
“Having found that the Appellant was able to participate effectively and that appropriate
safeguards were used at trial, the Court dismissed the appeal against conviction,” it said.