GRANTHAM MAN WAYNE MITCHELL JAILED FOR TWO AND HALF YEARS FOR SEXUALLY TOUCHING FOUR TEENAGE GIRLS
A Grantham man who was convicted of sexually touching four teenage girls was today (Friday) jailed for two and half years.Wayne Mitchell, 52, of Haddon Road, Grantham, was found guilty of six charges over a two year period after a trial at Lincoln Crown Court in September last year.
Impact statements from the four victims, who can not be named to protect their anonymity, were read out in court by prosecutor Stephen Kemp.
One of the complainants described how the incident "really scared her" and she was left wondering what Wayne Mitchell was capable of.
A second victim described how she now struggled with relationships and trusting people.
Mr Kemp also read out a statement from a third victim who described how her mental health had deteriorated.
A fourth victim said she struggled to be around men who looked like Wayne Mitchell and now hated being touched.
Three of the victims described how they suffered from flashbacks.
Mr Kemp said it was clear from the statements that each of the victims had suffered psychological harm.
The court heard Mitchell had no previous convictions and continued to deny any sexual motivations in his Probation report suggesting he was "messing about." Karen Walton, mitigating for Mitchell, said he had been unable to work since his convictions and had spent that time preparing for a custodial sentence.
Miss Walton told the court: "He is man who is intent on not putting himself in a position with young people." Passing sentence Judge James House KC rejected any suggestion that Mitchell was "messing about" and said the long term impact on all four girls could not be under-estimated.
"In this case there are multiple offences against multiple victims," Judge House said.
Mitchell was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order which will last for ten years.
Speaking after the case Detective Constable Farah Khan of Lincolnshire Police said: “The result of this case demonstrates that this behaviour will not be tolerated in Lincolnshire, and we will pursue every line of enquiry at our disposal to bring offenders like Mitchell to justice.
"We’d like to pay tribute to those involved in this case who have helped us with our investigation.
"We would encourage anyone who has had a similar experience to get in touch with us.
We will treat you with empathy, understanding and respect."
