November 12, 2020 5.24 pm This story is over 40 months old

Man jailed over child sex offences

He also faces a further trial over a stalking offence
Carl Potter was jailed for 16 months. | Photo: Lincolnshire Police

A 33-year-old man has been jailed for over a year for offences including sexual communications with a child.

Carl Potter initially approached a teenage school pupil, who he did not know, on Monks Road in Lincoln and made a series of deeply inappropriate sexual comments at around 7.30am on November 25 last year.

The pupil was then joined by a friend, who witnessed the same comments, and it is believed that Potter had his hand in his trousers while he was speaking to the girls.

An appeal was put out by Lincolnshire Police to help find Potter on February 11 this year as he was wanted for breaching a community order.

Police believed he was in the Lincoln city centre area and he was later arrested on February 25 on suspicion of committing sexual offences and taken into custody.

Potter, who was of no fixed address at the time of the arrest, denied a charge of sexual communications with a child but was found guilty on Wednesday in a hearing at Lincoln Crown Court.

He appeared at the same court on Thursday, November 12 and was jailed for 12 months for sexual communications with a child, and four months consecutive for a breach of a suspended sentence for an offence of stalking in 2019.

He was placed on the Sex offenders’ Register for 10 years and has an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order, which will supersede the 10-year period.

Potter will also face a further trial for a separate offence of stalking. That trial is currently scheduled for December 21 this year.

PC Kat Braithwaite, who led the investigation, said: “This was a particularly troubling incident involving teenage girls who were subjected to sexualised and very inappropriate language from Potter.

“He approached two girls who were complete strangers to him, and engaged in a conversation which was very upsetting for them.

“I would like to pay tribute to the girls who have shown tremendous courage following the incident, and during the trial itself.

“This behaviour is abhorrent and I hope we can bring some comfort to the victims by demonstrating that offenders will be brought to justice.”