UK- Court told of child sex offender’s threats to victim

9-20-2008 United Kingdom:

A CHILD sex offender who made venomous, hate-filled threats against the 13-year-old girl he sexually assaulted has been jailed for four years.

Persistent Paul Vincent Jones, 27, touched the teenager’s body as she resisted his advances and asked, “Can’t you leave me alone?”

He made lurid threats against the girl to a probation officer after he was reported to the police and bailed, Teesside Crown Court heard. The officer was worried for his own safety as Jones became agitated and aggressive in a meeting concerning his mental health on January 25.

Smith said he was “stressed out” over the court case then became abusive, insulting and derogatory about the girl. “He said he was going to string her up. This shocked the probation officer,” said prosecutor Paul Cleasby yesterday.

The officer tried to calm him down but he launched a tirade saying: “Listen mate, I’m going to kill her, murder her, knife her. I know where she lives.”

Mr Cleasby said the probation officer was concerned about the level of “venom” and hatred from Jones, and worried that Jones could confront and hurt her.

Jones, of Zetland Road, Stockton, denied sexual activity with a child but was convicted by a jury after a trial in April. He still denies this crime, which took place last year. He admitted threats to kill.

When he was 16, he was cautioned for indecently assaulting a teenage girl on her way home from school.

Jonathan Walker, mitigating, said the recent sexual offence was “an opportunistic moment of stupidity” and the threats were never meant to be conveyed to the complainant.

“He is prone to outbursts. That’s his modus operandi. He thinks very little of the implications of his acts.

“He is full of hot air, full of bluff, however violent and full of venom, he has no control over his use of words. He never carried out any such acts, never approached the complainant, never sent her abusive letters.”

Mr Walker said Jones arranged the appointment with the probation officer because he was concerned about his mental health.

He added Jones, interrupting the prosecutor from the dock saying “What’s it got to do with you,” still could not manage his own “volume control”.

In prison Jones, a self-confessed drug dependant using cannabis and amphetamines, did courses on drugs misuse and anger management.

The judge, Recorder Paul Reid, jailed Jones for three years for the sexual offences, plus one year for the threats. He also gave Jones a seven-year sexual offences prevention order and an indefinite ban from working with children.

Jones will be on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years. ..News Source.. by Gareth Lightfoot, Evening Gazette