Jail term on sex counts

Press, 9 March 1988, Page 14

Jail term on sex counts

The exceptional course of not jailing a man for sexual assaults on a girl, aged seven, was not warranted as it was not an isolated incident, said Mr Justice Holland in the High Court yesterday.. His Honour jailed Peter Edward Albert Garron, aged 36, a painter, for 15 months after the girl gave evidence. Garron denied that the offences occurred more than once.

Garron pleaded guilty in the District Court to charges of attempted sexual intercourse, doing an indecent act on the girl, and sexual violation of her.

Mr Stan Barker appeared for Garron and Mr Raoul Neave for the Crown. i

This was the third time Garron had appeared for sentence on the three charges. Sentencing was postponed on previous occasions so that it could be

established whether the offences were an isolated incident.

The offences with which Garron was charged occurred after the girl had wet the bed and he had removed her 1 underwear, j

Mr Justice Holland said that if this had been an isolated incident he might have been able to avoid sentencing Garron to imprisonment because he was of limited intelligence and had difficulty coping in society. Having heard evidence from the girl, he was impressed by her. She had been reluctant to describe Garron’s conduct in detail but this had not been an isolated incident. Garron had been in custody for two months and this was his first) time before the Court but his duty was to send him to prison, Mr Justice Holland