May 2013 Brierfield man jailed for indecent assault on three-year-old girl A PERVERT who touched a three-year old girl has been locked up for 12 months. Robert Penman was found guilty of one count of indecent assault and also of making a threat to kill, after a week-long trial at Burnley Crown Court. He was cleared of five other indecent assault allegations and two counts of indecency with a child against the victim and also one count of indecent assault against another little girl. The defendant, now 28, of Arthur Street, Brierfield, had denied the allegations against him. The indecent assault took place some years ago when he touched the victim under her clothing. He was ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for 10 years and was given a 10-year sexual offences prevention order, banning him from having any unsupervised direct contact with female children under 16. He is barred from working with children. The hearing had been told when Penman was questioned by police last year, he ‘categorically denied’ any sexual misconduct. He said he had not sexually touched either of the girls and told officers they had made the allegations because of things they had heard others say as they grew up. Penman said he tickled the three-year-old, but had not touched her indecently. Penman, who, the court was told, threatened to slit the victim’s throat after police were called, accepted to officers he had said unpleasant and offensive things, but denied he had ever meant the girl to fear he would carry them out. The court was told Penman had a criminal record, but no previous convictions for sexual offences and had never been to prison. Lisa Roberts, for Penman, said he had been immature and naive at the time of the ‘one off’ isolated sexual offence he had been convicted of. He was still in denial about the sexual offence. He had been attacked after people had learned of the allegation and he had had some form of summary justice. Penman had depression and had tried to commit suicide in January. The former painter and decorator had been on a curfew for almost six months. Sentencing, Judge Jonathan Gibson said he had taken into account the defendant’s age at the time and his mental illness. April 2013 Brierfield man facing jail for sex assault on three-year-old girl A 28-YEAR-OLD man has been convicted of indecently assaulting a three-year-old girl and could be facing jail. Robert Penman was found guilty of one count of indecent assault and also making a threat to kill, after a week-long trial at Burnley Crown Court. He was cleared of five other indecent assault allegations and two counts of indecency with a child and also one count of indecent assault against another little girl. The defendant, of Arthur Street, Brierfield, had denied the allegations against him. He was bailed until May 24, for a pre-sentence report. The indecent assault took place some years ago. The hearing was told when Penman was questioned by police last year, he “categorically denied” any sexual misconduct. He said he had not sexually touched either of the girls and told officers they had made the allegations because of things they had heard others say. Penman said that he tickled the three-year-old, but had not touched her indecently. Penman, who was said to have threatened to slit the victim’s throat after police were called, accepted that he had said unpleasant and offensive things, but denied that he had ever meant the girl to fear he would carry them out. Judge Jonathan Gibson, who told the defendant that he would have to sign the sex offenders’ register, warned him: “Custody is going to be uppermost in my mind.”