A 56-YEAR-OLD man who indecently assaulted and committed indecent acts against two girls over a five-year period has been jailed for 13 years.
Ricky Derek Knight was imprisoned for nine indecent assaults and five acts of gross indecency.
Crown Advocate Simon Thomas, prosecuting, told the Superior Number of the Royal Court that the offences took place while both girls were under 16. He called for Knight to be sent to prison for 13 years. The Superior Number sits to consider the most serious cases.
The advocate said that the older of the two girls was pressured into performing sex acts on Knight, and he would perform sex acts on her, buying her cigarettes or phone credits in return.
‘It became a regular occurrence for her,’ the Crown Advocate said.
Knight also touched the younger girl, putting his hand inside her shirt and groped her breasts on numerous occasions. On another occasion he pinned her down and placed his hand between her legs, above her clothing.
Knight denied the offences but was found guilty on all 14 counts after a six-day trial in October.
Crown Advocate Thomas said the older girl had suffered ‘extreme psychological harm’ as a result of her ordeal and had not been believed when she first spoke of what was happening.
She said she had found it difficult to trust people and it had undermined her relationships with men.
The younger girl said she had found it difficult to sleep because of the abuse.
Advocate Christina Hall, defending, said letters of support showed Knight was ‘well thought of by his friends and family’ and argued that a 13-year sentence was too high. She suggested a sentence of ten years.
Deputy Bailiff Robert MacRae told Knight: ‘You demonstrated no remorse and showed disdain for your victims.’ The accused was sentenced to nine years in prison for the assault on the older girl and four years for those on the younger girl, to run consecutively.
Knight was also banned from having any contact with either victim for an indeterminate period.
The Jurats sitting were Andrew Cornish, Karen Le Cornu Jerry Ramsden, Robert Christensen and Jane Ronge.
