GRANT PEARSON SENTENCED TO 12 MONTHS IN CUSTODY IN PRESTON FOR SEXUAL ACTIVITY WITH A 14-YEAR-OLD GIRL
A 19-year-old man named Grant Pearson, from Aintree Road, South Shore, has been sentenced to 12 months in custody after pleading guilty to two counts of sexual activity with a minor.Preston Crown Court was told that Pearson had engaged in sexual relations with the 14-year-old girl on two occasions after they met by chance at a bus stop.
The court heard that the pair maintained contact through texts and Facebook messages.
Prosecutor Hanifa Patel stated that Pearson was fully aware of the girl’s age.
The girl’s mother later discovered what had happened, prompting police involvement.
During the hearing, Janet Ironfield, defending Pearson, expressed that he fully accepted responsibility, stating, "He entirely accepts that he is to blame.
He hasn't sought to transfer any of the blame to the girl.
There was genuine affection between the two.
There had been Facebook chatter which in the main was entirely flirtatious." The court also heard that Pearson faced significant personal hardships, with his mother having died when he was 13, and his father later leaving him imprisoned in Singapore.
Passing sentence on Monday, Judge Andrew Woolman acknowledged the serious circumstances, saying, "You had very troubled years,” and noted there was profound mitigation in Pearson’s case.
