WEYMOUTH TEEN SENTENCED FOR ATTEMPTED RAPE ON FOOTPATH
A teenage individual, Aston Matthew Malkin, aged 19, has been sentenced to four years imprisonment for attempting to sexually assault a young woman on a secluded footpath in Sherborne.Despite maintaining his innocence, a jury convicted him of indecent assault and attempted rape of a 22-year-old woman.
During the incident last summer, the victim was described as 'petrified' and pleaded with Malkin to stop.
She eventually managed to escape and seek help from passersby.
In police interviews, Malkin claimed he had never been on the pathway in question but later admitted touching the victim, believing she consented, amid claims from his barrister that he lied due to pressure.
The court heard the defendant’s troubled past.
Malkin, of Chickerell Road, Weymouth, was sentenced at Dorchester Crown Court on May 26 by Judge Thomas Mackean, who stated that the case did not show he poses a significant future danger to the public.
He was sentenced to serve a minimum of two years in a young offenders' institution.
The judge remarked on the complexity of psychological harm caused to victims of attempted rape and emphasized that evidence clearly indicated the victim did not want any sexual relationship with Malkin.