A man has been convicted of sexually assaulting a child on the Isle of Wight.
Adrian Stone, aged 58, appeared at Isle of Wight Crown Court on Monday 13 January this year where he pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault on a female and one count of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).
Stone had made contact with a girl he knew under the age of 16 on 3 September 2024, messaging her out of the blue to suggest they go fishing together.
On 17 September, Stone picked up the girl in his car and took her for a drive unsupervised and without her parents’ consent.
At this time, Stone was subject to a SHPO – handed to him following a previous sexual offence conviction – which prohibited him from having unsupervised contact of any kind with any girl under the age of 16, without the consent of the child’s parent and on the proviso that the parent had knowledge of his previous conviction.
The girl was driven to a secluded location near the River Medina where Stone sexually assaulted her. He then drove her home, but refused to let her out of the car until she hugged him. The girl agreed, at which point Stone gave her a kiss on the cheek.
Stone continued to message the girl after the incident, but the girl subsequently disclosed the messages and the assaults to friends and family.
He was later arrested by police and initially denied everything in interview, before admitting to police that he had lied to officers about the messages to the victim.
However, he continued to deny the sexual assaults, but soon admitted these when he appeared in court.
Stone, of Horsebridge Hill in Newport, also pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual communications with a child when he appeared before Magistrates on 11 November 2024.
He has been remanded in custody to appear at Isle of Wight Crown Court for sentencing on 3 April.
DC Sophie Asher, who investigated the case, said:
“Stone knowingly and willingly pursued contact with this young girl, before taking her away to a secluded location without the knowledge or consent of the family so he could sexually assault her.
“This was a calculated course of conduct which demonstrates the risk he poses to children.
“I want to commend the bravery of the victim in this case who, despite being a child, showed such courage in disclosing what had happened to her.
"Because of this courage, a dangerous man has now been convicted.
A statement from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said:
"We want to encourage anyone who has been affected by child sexual abuse to contact police on 101, where you can speak to an officer in confidence.
"We recognise that not everyone has the confidence to talk to police about what they have experienced. Please be reassured that there are other services available that can offer you specialist support to help you deal with the impact of abuse.
"You can also find out more about how to report, and seek support for child abuse here.
"Alternatively, contact Child Line on 0800 11 11, or if you are an adult who has been affected, you can call the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000."
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