PERVERT MADE GUN SIGN AT SCHOOLGIRL AFTER CHOKING HER UNCONSCIOUS IN TERRIFYING ROBBERY
A schoolgirl described how a man she encountered during a terrifying robbery made a gun sign at her after being arrested for choking her unconscious.Christopher James, aged 19, exposed himself to the 15-year-old girl in Birkenhead Park shortly after meeting her for the first time.
When she tried to escape, he grabbed her bottom and her right breast, then put her in a headlock until she lost consciousness.
When she regained consciousness, the attacker demanded money, threatened to stab her, and warned, “I will break every bone in your body.” He rummaged through her pockets and searched her bra, and when she handed over £180, he bit her hand so she would drop the cash.
During her court testimony, the girl said she saw James twice after he was arrested and bailed over the charges.
She recalled sitting on a bus when James, of Hoblyn Road, Bidston, spotted her from across the street and made a gun gesture with his hand.
To feel safe, she called her father.
James appeared unremorseful, shaking his head in court as her distressing account was read aloud.
She also described an earlier incident when he boarded the same bus.
Although he sat at the front without speaking to her, the encounter left her feeling extremely scared.
The girl also revealed that James had followed her on Instagram, which made her feel distressed and threatened.
She said she had to set up new social media accounts to avoid him.
The girl explained that she now avoids going into Birkenhead town center, even with friends, because she fears running into him or something worse happening.
Sometimes she cannot bring herself to leave the house, worried she might see him since she never knows where he might be.
She also admitted to staying awake all night, haunted by what happened.
The incident has made it difficult for her to make new friends, especially boys, and her GCSE grades suffered as a result.
After the December 2015 attack, James fled the scene, but the girl contacted police, who took a swab from her hand.
DNA evidence from the sample matched his.
He was later arrested and identified in a police lineup, initially denying knowing her and claiming he had been at a party.
He also attempted to explain the DNA evidence by suggesting she had wiped her mouth after kissing him.
The teenager, who was 17 at the time, was convicted of robbery and exposure following a trial.
Prosecutor Graham Pickavance stated that the case was “far more serious” than a typical exposure offense and noted that James showed no remorse.
He commented that the girl had suffered greatly, and James's actions had impacted her confidence, social life, education, and relationship with her parents.
James was sentenced to six years in a young offenders’ institution, given an indefinite restraining order, and ordered to register as a sex offender for ten years.
Judge Neil Flewitt, QC, emphasized that the ordeal must have been “absolutely terrifying” for her and that she likely feared a much more serious sexual assault.
