A 64-YEAR-OLD man has been convicted of sexually assaulting a teenage girl at a party.
Gordon Burnett, from Sussex, put his arm around the teenager’s waist and put his hand up her skirt and inside her underwear while he was in Jersey for an event.
A jury of nine women and three men yesterday found Burnett unanimously guilty of sexual touching without consent following a three-day trial in the Royal Court.
The victim, who was not known to Burnett, reported what had happened on the night and Burnett was arrested a short time later.
The girl wept in court this week as she described the sexual assault, with the States police praising her “courage, resilience and determination” following Burnett’s conviction.
During the trial, Crown Advocate Mike Preston, prosecuting, said the incident “must have been terrifying and shocking for the young girl”.
In court, Burnett claimed he could not remember the event and said he was not the sort of person who would commit such an offence.
Advocate Mark Boothman, defending, highlighted that there was no DNA evidence to prove the offence but the prosecution argued that the victim had no reason to make up the allegation and undergo the ordeal of appearing in court.
Detective Constable Ben Casson from the Public Protection Unit, said: “I wish to thank the victim in this case for her courage, resilience and determination to see this through.
“At the States of Jersey Police we recognise how hard it can be for victims to come forward and wish to reassure the public that we, and the services we work alongside, will do everything in our power to support victims of sexual abuse whether or not they wish to pursue a criminal case.”
Burnett was remanded in custody and will be sentenced in the Royal Court on 18 October.
