February 2011
Spared jail for teen sex – Man freed after trial
A MAN who sexually assaulted a vulnerable teenage girl has narrowly avoided going to jail.
Richard Arthur Brooke has been spared prison after a judge heard how he was the main carer for his sick, elderly mother and a heart condition he suffers from would be unlikely to be treated behind bars.
The 47-year-old was found guilty last month of indecently assaulting a 15-year-old girl.
The Wallsend man had faced a total of 13 charges but was only convicted on the one count.
Brooke, of Worthing Close, appeared before Newcastle Crown Court again yesterday for sentencing.
Judge John Evans, who presided over his trial, heard how Brooke had gained the confidence of the teenage girl before touching her inappropriately.
The court heard that Brooke still maintains his innocence despite being found guilty by a jury. Robert Adams, defending, told the court it was unlikely his client would re-offend.
He said: “He maintains his position of being not guilty. I do not believe he is a high risk to children.
The only allegation against him to be proven is seven years old.
“The person involved was not very young. She was 15 at the time and it was years ago and he has no previous convictions of this type. If anything is going to stop someone doing this thing it must be the gruelling trial he went through.
“He is an extremely ill man. He has suffered two heart attacks. He is due to have an ECG on February 24 and that would not likely be available in prison. He is a carer for his sick mother.”
Judge Evans said having presided over the original trial he had no doubt about Brooke’s guilt. He said: “I am now faced with sentencing you for one single offence committed a very long time ago and I have to consider what is the appropriate sentence.
“You have no previous convictions of a sexual nature. You have maintained your innocence in relation to the offence on which you were convicted.
“Having heard the evidence in the case I have no reservations about the correctness of that conviction.
You abused the trust put in you by touching her in an inappropriate manner.”
Brooke was sentenced to 51 weeks in custody suspended for two years. He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for 10 years and given a six-month supervision order.
