Man groped youngster after 30-can lager binge

But a judge at Warwick Crown Court adjourned Dale Radburn’s case for a place to be found where he could be assessed for residence at a hostel.

Radburn, 34, of Mollington Grove, Hatton Park, had pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting the young girl on a Sunday afternoon in June last year.

Prosecutor Tom Walkling said the girl had been playing with three friends in a park near her home.

On their way home they were approached by Radburn, who she referred to as ‘the drunk man,’ and another man who she knew.

The other man put a laptop computer down on some bins, but he accidentally knocked it behind them.

Neither man could reach it, so Radburn lifted the girl up on top of the bins for her to try to reach down the narrow gap.

When she failed he picked her up to put her back down on the ground, which was when the sexual assault took place.

Mr Walkling said: “She describes him kissing her down her neck and squeezing her privates, touching her over her clothes.

“She said she was quite scared, and she went straight to her aunt’s house nearby, and the police were called and the defendant was arrested,”

When he was interviewed, Radburn, who said he had drunk 30 cans of lager that day, accepted picking the girl up, but denied kissing her or touching her sexually.

The court heard he had entered his guilty plea on the basis that he was drunk and did not recall what he had done.

But Radburn had added: “I can see no reason why these children would make up a story about this. I do not know them, and they do not know me. I accept I must have touched her as alleged.”

Mr Walkling said that Radburn had previous convictions for alcohol-related offences, including shoplifting and minor violence, but none for sexual offences.

Judge Alan Parker said: “The pre-sentence report says he is a high risk to children.”

In response, Glyn Samuel, defending, said: “That is based on the fact that he has maintained to the probation officer, as he maintains to the court, that he has a limited recollection of the events of that day. That is not just because of alcohol. In 2001 he was the victim of a quite serious accident and as a result he has been on medication and has problems with his memory.”

Judge Parker adjourned the case for enquiries to be made to find a hostel where Radburn’s assessment could take place and remanded him in custody.

The judge said: “This defendant deserves to go to prison, and certainly deserves to go to prison for far more than a year.

“It is a good thing he is in custody at the moment. He does present a risk to children but what he did, although serious, is not of a scale of gravity which would enable me to prevent him being released after serving half.”