HENRY SPARK FROM DURHAM SENTENCED FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT IN DURHAM
A 69-year-old man named Henry Spark, residing in Durham, has been sentenced to prison for a serious sexual assault that occurred over a decade ago.The incident involved Spark forcing a teenage girl to perform a sexual act after he had initially offered her a ride during the early hours of April 2008.
On that night, Spark was on his way to work as a delivery driver when he noticed a young woman walking alone in the dark around 3 a.m.
He decided to pull his vehicle over and offer her a lift, a decision that would lead to a traumatic experience for the teenager.
Once she entered his car, Spark's behavior quickly turned aggressive; he grabbed her hand and pulled it toward his groin, indicating his intent.
After driving for a few minutes, Spark pulled over again and forced the 17-year-old girl to perform a sexual act on him.
The young woman reported the assault to the police the following day.
However, initial investigations did not yield a match between DNA samples taken from her clothes and any existing records, leaving the case unresolved for years.
It was only in 2018, when Spark was convicted of another sex offence, that authorities discovered a DNA link to this earlier, unsolved case.
This revelation led to renewed investigations into the 2008 incident.
Spark initially denied having picked up the girl but later admitted to doing so.
He claimed that she consented to the sexual activity, a statement that was contested during the trial.
Durham Crown Court heard the case over a two-day trial, culminating in Spark’s conviction on multiple charges, including causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent, assault by penetration, and sexual assault.
The court was informed of Spark’s prior criminal record, which included a conviction in January of the previous year for possessing and creating indecent images of children, resulting in an eight-month prison sentence suspended for two years.
Additionally, Spark had a historic conviction from 1973 for exposing himself.
During the sentencing, Judge Jonathan Carroll expressed his view that Spark had been determined to have a sexual encounter with the girl regardless of her consent by the time she entered his vehicle.
Spark, who lives on Victor Street in Chester-Le-Street, was sentenced to three years in prison for all charges.
The victim, in a statement read aloud in court, shared her emotional struggles over the past ten years.
She described how the incident has profoundly affected her, stating, “Since it happened I know I am not the same person.
I had a naive and childish belief in people.
I thought trustworthy people were outwardly visible, I was not sceptical of everybody as I am now.” She expressed feelings of emotional distress, fear, and difficulty in moving past the trauma, hoping that someday she will be able to look back without feeling so raw and be able to move forward with her life.
