ANTHONY OVINGTON FROM WASHINGTON JAILED FOR ABDUCTING TEENAGE GIRL IN BLACKPOOL

In March 2005, a 32-year-old man named Anthony Ovington from Washington was sentenced to a year in prison after being convicted of abducting a teenage girl. The incident took place when Ovington ran away with a girl who was just shy of her sixteenth birthday, traveling from Washington to Blackpool with her. Despite warnings from the girl’s mother to stay away, Ovington ignored these concerns and proceeded with his plans.

He checked into a guest house in Blackpool under a false name, remaining there for over a week. During this time, he shared a room with the girl, who was three weeks away from turning sixteen. The court was told that the relationship between the two was inappropriate, although Ovington claimed in police interviews that he had kept his clothes on and that there had been no sexual misconduct. Nevertheless, the police found a letter from Ovington in the car he was driving, which was taken without permission from his former partner. The letter expressed his deep affection for the girl, stating his desire to marry her and have children, and hoping she felt the same way.

Ovington was eventually arrested while driving back to Tyneside in the stolen car, which belonged to his former partner. The police recovered the vehicle and found the letter, which detailed his intentions and feelings towards the girl. Prosecutor Carl Gumsley explained that the letter indicated Ovington’s wish to marry her and have a future together, emphasizing the seriousness of his intentions.

During police interviews, Ovington admitted to traveling to Blackpool knowing that the girl had a crush on him. He also acknowledged sharing a double bed with her but insisted that he had not engaged in any inappropriate behavior. His criminal record includes previous convictions for motoring offences, theft, deception, and a caution in 1998 for having sex with a girl under 16, for which he was registered as a sex offender.

In addition to the abduction charge, Ovington admitted to taking the car without permission, driving without insurance or a valid license, fleeing from the guesthouse without paying the £150 owed, and stealing a television and microwave from the premises. His defense lawyer, Chris Morrison, argued that there was no coercion involved and that there was no evidence of sexual impropriety between Ovington and the girl.

Judge John Muir, presiding over the case at Newcastle Crown Court, sentenced Ovington to 12 months in prison. The judge remarked that if there had been evidence of a sexual relationship, the sentence would have been significantly harsher, indicating the seriousness with which the court viewed the abduction and related offences.