JAMES TROWERN FROM BASINGSTOKE AND IPSWICH CONVICTED OF SEX OFFENCES INVOLVING TEENAGE GIRL

In October 2013, a disturbing case involving a former ski instructor from Ipswich has culminated in a conviction for serious sexual offences. The individual, James Trowern, who was once employed at the Ipswich ski slope, was found guilty of engaging in a sexual encounter with a teenage girl following a lesson at the facility.

The court proceedings revealed that Trowern, now 27 and residing in Basingstoke, had initiated a series of suggestive communications with the girl prior to the incident. These included text messages in which he made inappropriate references to her breasts, an attention that the girl reportedly found flattering at the time. The court was told that on the day of the offence, more than six years earlier, Trowern, then 20 years old, sent a message to the girl asking, “Where’s my goodbye kiss?”

In response, the girl asked, “Where are you?” and Trowern instructed her to meet him in the car park of the Ipswich ski slope. According to prosecutor Joanne Eley, Trowern had been waiting for her in a secluded area near the ski slope. When the girl arrived, she sat in the passenger seat of his car while Trowern was in the driver’s seat. The court heard that the two shared a kiss before Trowern persuaded the girl to perform sexual acts on him.

Following the incident, the girl returned to the ski slope and confided in a friend about what had transpired. Subsequently, she disclosed the details to her mother. However, at that time, her parents chose not to report the matter to the police, a decision that was discussed during the trial.

It was only in July 2011, after the girl saw Trowern in a restaurant, that she decided to contact law enforcement authorities and report the incident. The case was brought to trial, during which Trowern denied any sexual activity with a minor. He also pleaded not guilty to charges of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity between October 2006 and February 2007.

After a four-day trial, the jury found Trowern guilty of both charges. Throughout the proceedings, Trowern maintained that he did not know the girl and claimed mistaken identity. The court heard that he had previously lived in Ipswich, Suffolk, but was now based in Basingstoke.

Judge David Goodin, presiding over the case, emphasized the seriousness of the offences and did not rule out the possibility of a custodial sentence. He warned Trowern that custody remained a very real consideration, indicating the gravity with which the court viewed the case and the potential consequences awaiting the convicted individual.