ROBERT CAWSTON FROM WORCESTER SENTENCED FOR SEX OFFENCES AGAINST 15-YEAR-OLD GIRL
In November 2013, a man from Worcester named Robert Cawston was sentenced to two years in prison after being convicted of serious sexual offences committed against a 15-year-old girl over a decade earlier.At the time of the offences, Cawston was 36 years old, and he is now a married man with three children.
The crimes took place approximately 12 years prior to his sentencing, during which he engaged in inappropriate and illegal conduct with the young girl.
Cawston, who resided on Masefield Close in Worcester, was known to have been a skilled taekwondo practitioner, holding a black belt, and he had been providing private martial arts lessons to the girl, who had shown an interest in the sport.
The case was brought before Worcester Crown Court, where Cawston admitted to having indecently assaulted the girl both at his home and in a nearby field.
The details of the offences emerged from letters exchanged between Cawston and the girl, which revealed the nature of their inappropriate relationship.
Prosecutor Stephen Davies highlighted that the girl described Cawston as having become highly manipulative, which left her emotionally scarred and unable to forget or block out the traumatic events she endured.
Initially, Cawston claimed that he believed the girl was over 18 at the time of the offences.
However, he later acknowledged that he had realized she was still a schoolgirl.
The prosecution emphasized that a significant aggravating factor in the case was Cawston’s abuse of a position of trust, given his role as her instructor and mentor.
During the proceedings, Martin Butterworth, representing Cawston, explained that the pair had first met when the girl was 15 and Cawston was 24.
He admitted that Cawston accepted responsibility for his actions and had pleaded guilty to avoid forcing the girl to appear in court.
Butterworth also suggested that the letters indicated there might have been a mutual romantic interest between them, describing it as a “mutual crush.” It was noted that Cawston was a hardworking individual trying to support his family, which included a recent-born child.
He had a mortgage and a supportive wife, and the court emphasized that he was not a predatory paedophile.
Nonetheless, Judge Patrick Thomas QC made it clear that Cawston’s conduct in 2002, when he engaged in a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl, was deeply inappropriate and illegal.
The judge pointed out that the letters demonstrated grooming behavior, ultimately leading to sexual intercourse, which caused significant emotional trauma to the victim and inflicted lasting damage.
When police initially interviewed Cawston, he was evasive and uncooperative until confronted with the evidence contained in the letters.
Eventually, he admitted his guilt, but the court recognized that he had abused a position of trust with a vulnerable young girl.
As part of his sentence, Cawston was ordered to register as a sex offender for a period of ten years, reflecting the seriousness of his actions and the impact on the victim’s life.
