GORDON STOBIE'S SHOCKING CRIME AT DARLINGTON LAKE DISTRICT CAMP SITE
In March 1998, a disturbing incident unfolded at a campsite near Pooley Bridge in the Lake District, involving former professional boxer Gordon Stobie, who was subsequently sentenced to two years in prison for a sexual assault.The case was heard at Carlisle Crown Court, where a jury found Stobie guilty of indecently assaulting a 16-year-old girl during a late-night encounter in her tent.
According to court proceedings, the assault took place in the middle of a July night, while Stobie was staying at the camp site.
At the time, he was working as a roofing contractor in the Kirkby Thore area.
The girl, who was on holiday and preparing to undergo a hospital operation, had initially met Stobie after befriending his children at the campsite.
The court heard that after a night of dancing in the site’s club room, Stobie insisted on cooking her a late-night omelette inside her tent.
During the encounter, the girl recounted that Stobie began making inappropriate comments and probing her about her sex life.
When she revealed she had never had a boyfriend, he then asked if she would sleep with him.
The situation escalated when he pushed her onto an airbed, pinned her arms above her head, and started kissing her, she testified.
She managed to break free by punching him in the ribs, knocking him backwards and escaping the tent.
Stobie, who resides with his wife and four children on Greenwell Street in Darlington, offered a different account during the trial.
He claimed that the girl had initiated the physical contact, stating that she had put her arm around him and kissed him first, to which he responded.
Despite his assertions, the court found his behavior to be reprehensible.
Judge Robert Brown emphasized that Stobie’s attitude was one of hope that persistence would lead to her changing her mind, describing his conduct as 'despicable.' Although he was acquitted of a more serious charge of attempted rape, the judge sentenced Stobie to two years in prison for the indecent assault.
Additionally, he was ordered to register as a sex offender with the police for a period of ten years.
The judge also made it clear that Stobie’s actions demonstrated a blatant disregard for the girl’s pleas for him to stop, underscoring the severity of his misconduct.
