Leigh Smith – Clifton

May 2015

Sex offender ‘haunted by his crime’ handed himself in

A man has been jailed after he handed himself into police nearly 20 years after he ruined a young girl’s life.

Leigh Henry Smith, now 35, was 16 and the victim was eight when he sexually abused her, York Crown Court heard.

His barrister Tom Gent told York Crown Court: “His behaviour has haunted him throughout his life.

He has at times throughout his life been suicidal and struggled to come to terms with what he did.

Yes, he was under pressure from others, but principally, he could not live with himself any more.”

David Bradshaw, prosecuting, said the girl’s family had become aware of his crimes and were preparing themselves to tell the police when Smith handed himself in.

“She takes the view the abuse has ruined her life,” he said.

The victim was in court to see Smith jailed for two years and three months and put on the sex offenders’ register and made subject to a sexual harm prevention order imposing tight controls on his access to children. Both will last for ten years.

Smith, formerly of Clifton Caravan Site, Water Lane, Clifton, pleaded guilty to five charges of indecent assault committed in the 1990s.

“Although these events happened a long time ago, the memories have stayed with the victim all these years. I am satisfied from what I have read in her victim impact statement, she has suffered very considerable distress and she thinks your selfish behaviour has had a major effect on her enjoyment of life,” the Recorder of York, Judge Stephen Ashurst, told him.

The judge said he took into account when passing sentence that the police did not know about the sexual abuse until Smith told them.

But he added: “It was probably a close-run thing as to who would go to the police first.”

Mr Bradshaw said the offences occurred in a tent, a caravan and a house.

Mr Gent said Smith did not accept that any offences happened in a tent. At the time of the offences he was immature sexually and in his experience of life.