April 2004 Trucker jailed for having sex with girl of 14 A TRUCKER who had sex with a 14-year-old schoolgirl in his cab has been jailed for three months. John Axford, 38, of Whitby Way, Darlington, was also placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for a minimum period of seven years. At Carlisle Crown Court, Axford admitted a single charge of having unlawful sexual intercourse with the girl. The court was told that the girl had approached the defendant while his lorry was parked in Carlisle, where he was delivering a load of bricks. The girl made it clear she wanted to have sex, the court was told. While he was having sex with her, the girl’s mobile phone rang – a call from her mother wondering where she was. The woman noticed no change in her daughter’s behaviour after she had sex, the court heard. Passing sentence, Mr Justice Morland said he believed Axford’s explanation that he genuinely thought the girl was aged 17. He accepted that Axford was a hard-working man but said this was a serious offence so a non-custodial sentence could not be justified. He added: “I have no reason to think that you are a risk in the future to children or young women.”