A 56-YEAR-OLD man has been convicted of a string of indecent assaults and committing acts of gross indecency against two girls under the age of 16 over a five-year period.
After deliberating for nine hours and 18 minutes, the jury at the Royal Court found Ricky Derek Knight unanimously guilty of five counts of committing acts of gross indecency and nine counts of indecent assault.
During the six-day trial, the jury heard how the older of the two girls was pressured into performing sex acts on him, while he would perform sex acts on her. Knight would buy her cigarettes or phone credit in return.
One of the victims told the court that Knight had put his hand inside her shirt and groped her breasts on numerous occasions.
She described one incident in which she recalled: ‘He pinned me down on the floor and pulled up my shirt.
‘I thought I was going to get raped or something.’
Crown Advocate Simon Thomas, prosecuting, said Knight had first encountered the girls several years ago and said: ‘He took an unnatural interest in the girls’ appearance.’
Knight was arrested and interviewed last year. He denied all the charges, but admitted occasionally touching the younger girl’s breasts by accident, claiming that he had always apologised afterwards.
One witness told the jury that she saw Knight grab the older girl’s clothing, pull her pants down and ‘belt’ her on the bottom with his hand.
She added that Knight called the older girl ‘fat’ and ‘disgusting’. He also commented on the younger girl’s breasts, the court heard.
When the woman questioned Knight about his behaviour, she said that he had laughed and claimed it was ‘a bit of fun’.
Advocate Adam Harrison, defending, asked the woman why she had not reported any of this to the States police.
She replied: ‘I beat myself up daily that I did nothing at the time.
‘It is my guilt to live with.’
Knight was remanded in custody and is due to be sentenced by the Superior Number of the Royal Court on 5 January.
Deputy Bailiff Robert MacRae was sitting.
Commenting on the case, Detective Constable Jo Le Maistre said: ‘We are committed to investigating and prosecuting all sexual offenders and want to assure victims that they will be listened to and believed, no matter how long ago the offences took place. There are a number of agencies who offer support and guidance to those who have been victims of sexual abuse.
‘We continue to work alongside partners, especially support and advocacy services such as the Sexual Assault Referral Centre, Jersey Action Against Rape and the Jersey Women’s Refuge, to encourage victims of sexual crime to report such incidents.’
