A man convicted of sexually assaulting a teenage girl for his own gratification was jailed for seven years after a hearing at Lincoln Crown Court on Monday afternoon.
Philip Evans was found guilty of three charges at the end of a jury trial. The jury were told how he kissed the girl and persuaded her to touch him and on one occasion had sex with her.
Judge Simon Hirst, passing sentence, told him: “There was some grooming behaviour because you offered to buy her things.
“When this girl was aged 13 or 14 you abused her for your own gratification.
“Plainly this offending is so serious that only an immediate custodial sentence can be passed.”
Evans, 51, of Friars Lane, Lincoln, was found guilty by the jury by a 10-2 majority of two charges of inciting sexual activity with a child. He was also found guilty by an 11-1 majority of a further similar charge.
He was cleared of two further charges of inciting sexual activity. The charges related to incidents between 2005 and 2006. Evans had denied all five charges.
In addition to being jailed he was placed on the sex offenders’ register for life and barred from working with children and vulnerable adults.
Tony Stanford, prosecuting, told the jury that Evans kissed the girl and persuaded her to touch him and on one occasion had sex with her.
Michael Cranmer-Brown, in mitigation, said: “He has no previous convictions for anything of this sort. Other than his character there is nothing really more that I can say on his behalf.”
*There was no picture of the defendant available from Lincolnshire Police
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