June 2001

Babysitter’s sex assault on girl, 11

A MAN was jailed for nine months yesterday after he admitted sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl he was babysitting.

Christopher Daniel Mullan, 37, of Rainsford Crescent, Middlesbrough, admitted indecency with a child, atTeesside Crown Court.

Ian West, prosecuting, told the court that father-of-three Mullan was babysitting the child on New Year’s Eve, last year. None of his own children were involved in the case.

When the child was upstairs playing on a computer, Mr West said, Mullan approached her and asked a sexually suggestive question, which the girl tried to laugh off.

He said Mullan was sexually indecent with the youngster who was left “embarrassed and frightened” by the incident.

She told a family member the following day, he said, and the police were called in.

Stephen Ashurst, prosecuting, said Mullan was extremely remorseful for his “disgraceful behaviour” and knew what he had done was “entirely wrong”.

He also said in mitigation that Mullan had admitted the crime very early in proceedings and that it was an isolated incident.

Judge Peter Armstrong jailed Mullan for nine months and ordered him to be placed on the sex offenders’ register for ten years.

He said it was difficult to think of a more grievous breach of trust and added Mullan had committed the crime for his own sexual satisfaction without thinking of the effect it would have on his victim.