JAKE PROVERBS SENTENCED IN SHEFFIELD COURT FOR SEXUAL OFFENCES AND DANGEROUS DRIVING

Sheffield Crown Court heard on March 3 that 21-year-old Jake Proverbs, of Wainwright Crescent near Richmond in Sheffield, admitted to having consensual sex with a girl in a park, believing she was 17. Prosecutor Nicola Quinney stated that the offence was uncovered after the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, made a separate complaint about another sexual offence. A forensic DNA analysis matched Proverbs to a swab taken from the girl.

Ms Quinney explained that Proverbs told police the sexual contact was consensual, claiming he believed she was 17 at the time. However, the court emphasized that consent is irrelevant in cases involving underage individuals. Recorder Andrew Smith MBE noted, "She appeared to you to be tipsy, not drunk. You had smoked cannabis yourself and you had sex with her." He added, "Whatever your difficulties — and you do have difficulties — you are culpable and blameworthy. You should have known she was a 12-year-old girl."

Proverbs, who has prior convictions, pleaded guilty to the rape of a girl under 13, relating to an incident on May 19, 2019. Additionally, he admitted to dangerous driving on April 1, 2021, after a police pursuit in Sheffield's Manor area. Officers in a helicopter became concerned about Proverbs' driving, prompting a grounded police pursuit. During the chase, Proverbs drove the wrong way down a one-way street into traffic, sped down City Road, and on a footpath in a park before abandoning his motorcycle in a garden.

Recorder Smith commented, "It involved a police pursuit and you knew you should have stopped. You immediately admitted how stupid you had been to police." Defence counsel Rukshanda Japeen Hussain argued that consent was not an issue in the child rape case because the girl was 12, and alleged Proverbs believed she was 17. Ms Hussain described Proverbs as an immature 18-year-old at the time of the offence, dealing with mental health issues, and emphasized that he does not appear predatory. She stated there was no evidence beyond the forensic DNA match and that Proverbs' actions were isolated.

The court also heard that Proverbs suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder following an unrelated stabbing incident. Furthermore, he was found to be in breach of a previously suspended sentence for possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply. Recorder Smith acknowledged delays in processing the forensic evidence but emphasized the seriousness of the offences.

Proverbs was sentenced to five years in prison, with four years to be served in custody and an additional one-year extension on license. He was placed indefinitely on the Sex Offenders Register, subjected to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the same period, and banned from driving for 30 months.