Jan 2008

Teen sex man behind bars

A man who sexually assaulted a 14-year-old Swansea Valley girl has been jailed for 12 months.

Michael William George Vernon, 27, admitted sexual activity with a girl under the age of 16 when he appeared before Judge Gerald Price at Swansea crown court on Thursday.

Dean Pulling, prosecuting, said on November 3 the girl had been downstairs with Vernon while her older sister was upstairs watching television.

She began to perform a sexal act on Vernon who responded by touching her private parts.

Mr Pulling said that, at the time, Vernon was aware the girl had made allegations that her stepfather had raped her.

The elder sister walked in and saw what was happening. After the teenager had spoken to her the police were called.

On his arrest Vernon said, “I know what I did was wrong.”

His barrister, Dyfed Thomas, said the sexual touching had been with the girl’s consent but Vernon accepted that he was the adult and should not have allowed it to happen.

Judge Price told Vernon, of Mayhill, Swansea, there was a substantial difference between their ages and young girls often needed to be protected from themselves.

In addition to the jail sentence Vernon was banned from working with children and ordered to register with the police as a sex offender for the next 10 years.