April 2015 Devon man jailed for schoolgirls abuse A businessman has been jailed for sexually abusing two schoolgirls more than 20 years ago. Richard Burton, 49, of Barton Cottages, Huntsham, near Tiverton in Devon, denied six charges of indecent assault. He was found guilty of four of the offences by Exeter Crown Court and sentenced to three and a half years in prison. During the week-long trial the jury heard how one of the girls developed a crush on him and was a willing partner. The court heard a sexual relationship started when she was 14 and continued after she had turned 16 until she moved away from the area. Of the five charges relating to this girl, Burton was found guilty of three. A sixth charge related to Burton touching another girl’s breast after taking her for a ride in his car. Burton, who runs a business in Cullompton, told the jury he had a short sexual relationship with the first complainant, but everything was consensual as she was 17. He denied any sexual contact with the second complainant and said the allegations had caused him a great deal of distress and were completely untrue and invented. Nicolas Gerasimidis, defending, said Burton had lived a blameless life for 20 years and was a devoted father. He said his business would probably fold while he was in jail. Recorder David Bartlett said: “I cannot accept you did not realise this girl was vulnerable. It must have been clear she was a troubled individual and there was a disparity of age between you. “I have no doubt she was infatuated with you and a willing participant but you were 17 years older and should have exercised self-restraint to resist her obvious sexual drive until she was at least 16.” April 2015 Huntsham man found guilty of indecent assaults during the 1990s A MECHANIC has been found guilty of abusing two girls almost 20 years ago after a jury rejected his claims that he had been framed. Richard Burton was convicted of having a sexual relationship with one girl who developed a crush on him when she was 14 and of groping another teenager after giving her a lift in his car. He said the two women had colluded to get him into trouble and that he only had contact with one of the girls, and that happened when she was 17 and consenting. A jury at Exeter Crown Court took almost a day to convict Burton of abusing the girls during the 1990s when they were aged in their mid teens and he was in his early 30s. At the time he was running a car body repair business in Dulford, near Cullompton and the main complainant said he abused her after picking her up from school and when she visited his home near Tiverton. The second victim said she was sexually assaulted only once, when she was about 13 or 14, and he groped her breasts after giving her a lift in his car. Burton, aged 49, of Barton Cottages, Huntsham, near Tiverton, denied five indecent assaults against the first girl and one against the second. He was found guilty of all but two of the charges, which alleged assaults on the first victim when she was 12 and 13. During the week-long trial the jury heard how the girl developed a crush on him and was an enthusiastic and willing partner in all the sexual acts. She told how they started a countdown to her losing her virginity which was originally meant to end when she was 14 but actually resulted in them having sex days after her 15th birthday. Burton told the jury he had a short sexual relationship with the first complainant but everything was consensual and took place when she was 17 and well over the age of consent. He denied any sexual contact with the second complainant. He said the allegations had caused him a great deal of hardship and distress and were invented. Mr Nicolas Gerasimidis, defending, said there was no point in the court ordering a pre sentence report because Burton maintains his innocence. He said:”There will never be a time when he accepts these allegations. Quite the contrary. Work is still going on in relation to the relevant dates with the aim of establishing an alibi. He will never accept he had sexual relations with her before she was 17.”