William Evans

A 21-year-old man from Poole, Dorset, was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court for a series of sexual offences against a 12-year-old girl. William Evans, of King John Avenue, began communicating with the victim on social media in 2023 when he was 19 years old. The interactions escalated to in-person meetings by September 2023, despite the girl believing they were merely friends and not consenting to any romantic or sexual relationship.

On 27 September 2023, while the girl was riding her bicycle in Bournemouth, Evans approached her, lifted her up, wrapped her legs around his waist, and began touching her inappropriately. He then pulled her to the ground and sat her on his lap, actions that left her feeling uncomfortable and confused. A concerned member of the public witnessed the incident and reported it to the police due to the significant age difference between the pair.

Evans sexually assaulted the girl on at least two occasions. During one incident, when she asked him to stop, he initially complied but resumed the assault five to ten minutes later. Police later recovered a video from Evans's phone in which he filmed himself performing a sexual act in front of the girl, unbeknownst to her at the time.

The victim, in her impact statement read to the court, described feeling 'completely broken' and suffering from flashbacks. 'I feel I will never get over this,' she said. 'I just want to be happy. I don't see how things will ever get better.'

Prosecutor Richard Tutt outlined the charges during the trial at Bournemouth Crown Court. Evans pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault of a child. He was subsequently found guilty by a jury of an additional count of sexual assault of a child, assault of a child by penetration, and engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.

Mitigating, defence barrister Nick Robinson described Evans as a young man lacking emotional maturity, supported by character references highlighting his usual 'kind and considerate behaviour'. Judge Susan Evans KC remarked, 'You engaged in behaviour she did not want and far too young to deal with physically and emotionally.'

The court heard evidence from Dorset Police, who investigated the reports and seized Evans's phone. No custody image was released by the force upon request from the Bournemouth Echo.