2005: JAILED FOR INDECENT ASSAULT ON GIRL, 9
A man charged with simulating sexual activity with a nine-year-old girl has been sentenced to two years in prison by Worcester Crown Court.David Shurmer, 50 years old, was found to have climbed onto the girl while she was lying on her bed playing a video game.
In a separate incident, he lay on top of her as she was organizing her games in her bedroom.
Throughout both incidents, the girl remained clothed, but Shurmer exposed his genitals, according to prosecutor Andrew Evans.
Shurmer, residing on Tomkinson Drive in Kidderminster, admitted to two counts of indecent assault on the day he was scheduled to stand trial before a jury.
It was noted that nine years earlier, he had received a police caution for a similar offense involving a six-year-old girl.
Judge John Cavell remarked that Shurmer’s guilty plea, made at the last minute, meant the young girl had prepared to give evidence in court.
The judge condemned his betrayal of the trust placed in him by the girl’s family.
Following his conviction, the judge ordered that Shurmer's supervision on licence be extended by three years after his release from prison.
He was also required to register as a sex offender for the next decade and was prohibited from working with children.
The crimes occurred in 1999.
The victim revealed the abuse to a friend in 2003, leading to Shurmer’s arrest the following year.
He repeatedly denied ever being alone with the girl.
Defence solicitor Abigail Nixon argued that the social stigma associated with the offences would adversely affect Shurmer’s mother, a 73-year-old disabled woman confined to a wheelchair, who relied heavily on him for care.
Ms.
Nixon explained that Shurmer, who suffers from learning difficulties, had underlying psychological issues linked to adverse childhood experiences involving his stepfather.
It was also reported that the girl was subjected to sexual abuse by another man, who was imprisoned for a year last year.
