April 2009 Five years for teen who raped 10 year old girl A TEENAGER has been sentenced to five years in a young offenders’ institute for raping a young girl in Bridlington. Adam Harrison, 18, of Harcourt Place, Scarborough, was also given an eight-year sex offender prevention order and put on the sex offenders’ register for life. A five-day trial at Hull Crown Court had been told Harrison had attacked the Bridlington primary school girl up to 15 times over a 12-month period, resulting in six charges of rape. The jury took six hours to find Harrison guilty after he had denied the allegations and only admitted a single charge of sexual activity with a child under 15. Last Wednesday, the teenager appeared at Sheffield Crown Court to be sentenced. His family, and relatives of the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were in court. Ruth Cranidge, in mitigation, said psychological and psychiatric reports had shown no evidence that Harrison suffered any problems, but she also asked the judge to take into consideration the teenager’s age at the time the offences were committed. She said: “It is clear from the reports that Adam had a very poor upbringing and was expected to play the role of a father for his siblings at only nine years old. “Since he was 14, when he committed the offence, he has remained out of trouble and there is no suggestion that he has shown an unhealthy attraction to children “He has, and always has, been able to identify that what he admitted to doing was wrong, and he is aware of the harm he has caused the complainant.” She added: “It is difficult having him sitting here in court as an adult rather than the boy who committed the offences. “This defendant has not shown any signs of offending behaviour for four years as he has matured into an adult “This defendant does not qualify for a sentence of imprisonment for the protection of the public as he does not pose a risk of serious harm or further serious specified offences.” However, Judge Trevor Barber, who also heard Harrison’s trial in Hull, disagreed.  He said to Harrison: “You are now 18, but when you were 14 you raped a girl and threatened to kill her if she told anyone. “Your lack of remorse and your ability to distance yourself from the allegations lead me to conclude that, until your problems have been professionally resolved, you pose a risk to children. “The mitigating factors are you were a youth at the time – and you still are a young man – that you had an unhappy upbringing, and you have no previous convictions. “However, these are in my opinion very serious offences, and I take into consideration the devastating effect your actions had on the girl and her family. “I am satisfied you pose a risk of causing harm to children.” February 2009 Teenager on trial for rape of primary school girl A SCARBOROUGH teenager has admitted having sexual activity with a primary school girl in Bridlington, but has denied raping her on six occasions, a jury heard on Tuesday. Adam Harrison, now 18, of Harcourt Place, admitted simulating sex by climbing on top of the girl, touching her over clothing and allegedly confessed to the police he had sex with her The girl claimed that she had been raped between 10 and 15 times in Bridlington over the space of a year and Harrison has gone on trial denying six charges of rape. He also insisted he never threatened the girl, instead he described her as an “old head on young shoulders,” Hull Crown Court was told. Opening the prosecution case, barrister Mark McKone told the jury: “She said the sex physically hurt her. “She would shout out stop, stop. But he didn’t. “She was asked by the police how many times she had been raped and she said 10 to 15 times.” He said the girl described the beginning of the abuse as “when he started doing things.” Asked by the police what she meant, she said full sex. She said at first she did not understand what was going on,” said Mr McKone. “She says he told her he would kill her, or hurt her family if she told anyone. “She said he once punched the wall. She said she felt this was done to frighten her.” Mr McKone said there were different scenes for each rape, and the allegations came to light after the girl confessed to a classmate. Mr McKone said the girl had given four DVD interviews to the police in which she described the incidents. Dressed in a suit, Harrison formerly pleaded guilty to the charge of sexual assault on the girl At the start of Tuesday’s hearing he had earlier pleaded not guilty to six charges of rape. Mr McKone said: “By the plea of guilty to that charge he accepts in interview that there was sexual contact.” He added that when interviewed, Harrison admitted at first touching the girl over clothing and laying on top of her on two or three occasions and simulating sex. He said Harrison claimed another person was present who had encouraged him to perform sex acts on more than one occasion. He said he felt uncomfortable about this and added: “I knew it was wrong. I just felt a bit ashamed I had done it.” Mr McKone said Harrison denied enjoying it, explaining his actions as “just one of those things”. “The prosecution say he confessed to count six (of rape). By admitting penetration, he was therefore guilty of count six,” said Mr McKone. Harrison has pleaded not guilty to all six charges of rape. Mr McKone said the issue in the case was whether the rapes took place or not. He said the burden of proof fell on the prosecution and they should not convict him of any charges unless they felt sure he was guilty. The case continues.