FEBRUARY 2012

Perverted bus driver jailed for underage sex in his double-decker

A PERVERTED bus-driver has been jailed for nine years for having underage sex on-board his double-decker bus.

Perverted bus driver jailed for underage sex in his double-decker bus

Jason Mutimer, 39, of Parkside Avenue, in Barnehurst, pleaded guilty to two counts of underage sex and two counts of rape at Woolwich Crown Court on Friday. (February 10)

Now, the mother of a woman Mutimer raped in 1998 is campaigning for all bus-drivers to be fully examined by the criminal records bureau (CRB) prior to employment.

Speaking exclusively to News Shopper, the 56-year-old who cannot be named for legal reasons said: “Everyone just assumes they have these checks.

“I’m not going to let it rest – I’m going to fight it to the death and don’t care what I have to do.”

Perverted bus driver jailed for underage sex in his double-decker bus

Mutimer, who drove buses for Arriva in Dartford until June 2011, was previously convicted in the 1990s for masturbating in public and making obscene phone calls.

Current law does not require bus drivers to have CRB checks, but the victim’s mother says they are vital as many drivers come into contact with children on school bus routes.

She added: “He had previous – so if he had a CRB check he wouldn’t have been employed in the first place.”

The court heard how Mutimer began texting a 14-year-old girl in 2010, sending her explicit messages and asking her not to tell her parents.

Perverted bus driver jailed for underage sex in his double-decker bus

Between May and October he encouraged the schoolgirl onto the top floor of his double-decker bus where he had unprotected sex with her.

In September, he invited the same girl to his home to baby-sit his daughter, where he again had sex with her.

Mutimer later bragged online, telling a web-user he had ‘had’ the girl ‘once on a bus and once in my house’.

He also bombarded her with text messages asking if she was pleased she had lost her virginity to him.

Police were alerted to sex-predator Mutimer after the girl’s parents discovered explicit text messages from him on her mobile phone.

It was also told how Mutimer raped a woman in 1998, an offence which came to light following his arrest for underage sex.

The mother of this victim said: “I couldn’t believe she kept quiet about it for so long, I was shocked when she told me.

“She lost it and she told me everything he had done, it was disgusting.”

On sentencing, Judge Robinson said: “You have an inappropriate sexual interest in young women and girls and your offences show a clear escalation in the pattern of your sexual offending.

“You are willing and able to act on this interest.”

A search of Mutimer’s computers’ hard drives revealed three images depicting children in erotic poses.

Mutimer was handed an indefinite sexual prevention order banning him from unsupervised contact with young girls and from using any internet capable device which is incapable of recording web history.

Arriva regional publicity manager Richard Lewis said: “CRB checks are not part of our recruitment process for bus drivers although some local authorities may request this for contracted school bus contracts.

“As part of our recruitment process we do request two references for each bus driver and this is always followed up.

“We also ask for information concerning criminal convictions during the application process.”