DAVID ASTON SENTENCED IN CASSINGTON FOR SEXUAL OFFENSES INVOLVING YOUNG GIRLS NEAR BICESTER

In June 2008, David Aston, a 32-year-old driving instructor from Cassington, was sentenced to four years in prison after being convicted of serious sexual offenses involving underage girls. Aston’s crimes included luring two young girls, aged 13 and 14 at the time, into woodland near Bicester and encouraging them to kick him in the groin as part of a disturbing fetish. The court heard that Aston had met one of the victims through an internet chatroom in 2006, during which he bribed the teenagers with alcohol and cash to participate in his perverse activities.

According to court proceedings, Aston twice stripped from the waist down and crouched on all fours on a towel in the woodland area. He then encouraged four girls to kick him repeatedly in the groin until he was overwhelmed by pain. The disturbing nature of these acts was central to the case, and the court was told that Aston’s behavior was driven by a desire for abuse directed at himself rather than the victims.

Claire Fraser, Aston’s defense lawyer, addressed the court, explaining that Aston had recently separated from his wife following the allegations. Despite the separation, he maintained contact with his two young sons, aged nine and seven. Fraser emphasized the impact of the case on Aston’s family, stating, “The impact on his soon-to-be ex-wife and his children is enormous. Mr Aston was the main breadwinner of the family.” She added that Aston deeply regretted his actions, asserting that his interest was in the abuse inflicted upon himself rather than the harm caused to the girls.

Judge Julian Hall, presiding over the case, sentenced Aston to four years in prison and made it clear that Aston would likely be kept in segregation for his own safety due to the nature of his crimes. The judge condemned Aston’s behavior as “old-fashioned lewd behavior,” emphasizing that sexual conduct involving children under 16 is utterly unacceptable. He also ordered Aston to sign the sex offenders’ register for life and prohibited him from working with minors or communicating electronically with them if the interaction is sexual in nature.

During the trial, Aston denied the charges, claiming he believed the girls were at least 16 years old. He was convicted of sexual activity with a child and causing or enticing a child to engage in sexual activity but was cleared of charges related to making indecent images of children.

Following the sentencing, one of the victims, now 16, expressed her feelings, saying, “I am very happy. I have got a lot of anger towards him.” Another victim, also 16, shared her emotional state, stating, “Throughout it we both got diagnosed with depression partly to do with this. But since we found out the guilty verdict everything just got better. The night it happened I cried myself to sleep.”

Sources indicated that prison authorities would consider placing Aston in a segregated section of the facility to protect him from other inmates, given the sensitive and disturbing nature of his crimes.