NOTTINGHAM CLEANER FOUND GUILTY OF SEXUAL ASSAULT IN SUPERMARKET TOILETS
A jury has ruled that a Nottingham City Council street cleaner did sexually assault a woman inside the toilets of an Marks and Spencer store.Following a Finding of Fact hearing at Nottingham Crown Court, the seven men and five women took two hours to conclude that Davoid Hemsell carried out the act he had been charged with doing.
The hearing was told how the 66-year-old, of Forest Fields, placed his hand on the victim's body and moved it to her groin area, leaving her “visibly distressed” at the Albert Street branch of the retail giant.
Now he will be sentenced at a future date once the judge considers his personal circumstances.
Adjourning the case until early October, Judge Nigel Godsmark KC said: “The options available to me are a hospital disposal or a supervision order and this is not a case where hospital treatment will assist.
I am looking to make a supervision order but I would like to know a little more about how the order will operate, who will administer it and how it will offer greater protection.” A Finding of Fact hearing is similar to a trial, but Hemsell has been deemed unfit to enter a plea owing to his severe learning disabilities.
Rather than guilty or not guilty, the jury had to conclude whether he did or did not carry out the act he was accused of.
Prosecutor Stuart Lody said the incident happened on July 24 last year inside one of the customer toilets.
Despite his profound difficulties, Hemsell, who was working for Nottingham City Council as a street cleaner, was known to staff for his regular visits to use the facilities at M&S.
He entered the toilet, encountered the woman, moved towards her, tried to kiss her, and placed his hand on her chest, then her tummy, and moved it down to her groin.
The woman was shocked and told him to stop; he stopped abruptly and left.
She exited distressed and called her mother.
The following morning, Hemsell returned to Marks and Spencer, was recognized, and police were called leading to his arrest.
The woman, protected by law, testified how Hemsell placed his hand on her body and moved it downwards, and how she asked him to stop, which he did.
Her mother recounted receiving a distressed phone call from her daughter.
The woman’s caregiver, Margaret Priddle, who has known Hemsell for over two decades, testified he had admitted to touching her, from the shoulder across her bosom and down her body, saying he didn't think he had done anything wrong.
