SURAJIT GHOSH SHOCKS PORTSMOUTH WITH CRIME AT CRASSWELL STREET SUPERMARKET
On Thursday, June 20, Surajit Ghosh, aged 27, faced the dock at Portsmouth Crown Court to be sentenced for a series of disturbing criminal acts that took place in Portsmouth.The incident that led to his arrest began on the evening of Saturday, May 27, 2023, when police received a distressing report involving an unknown man who had inappropriately touched an 8-year-old girl in Tesco, located on Crasswell Street.
Witnesses described how the man had touched the young girl’s bottom before swiftly fleeing down another aisle, prompting a frantic chase by a family member of the victim through the supermarket.
Following the report, law enforcement officers responded promptly to the scene.
They conducted a thorough area search and interviewed witnesses present at the supermarket.
CCTV footage was reviewed to identify the suspect, which led to the quick identification of Ghosh as the individual responsible for the assault.
That very night, police officers visited his residence on Drummond Road, where they found him hiding behind a sofa.
Ghosh’s reaction was aggressive; he threatened to stab officers and resisted arrest, even going so far as to dig his fingernails into a police officer’s hand, causing bleeding.
Subsequent investigations confirmed Ghosh’s involvement in the sexual assault.
He was formally charged with the sexual assault of a girl under 13 by touching, as well as an assault on an emergency worker.
Ghosh pleaded guilty to both charges during his court appearance on October 2, 2023.
Additionally, on April 15 of the same year, he admitted to a separate charge of perverting the course of justice.
It was revealed that Ghosh had contacted the mother of the young girl through Facebook, attempting to persuade her to drop the charges against him, despite his prior guilty plea for the sexual assault.
Today, at Portsmouth Crown Court, Ghosh was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
The court also ordered him to sign the Sex Offenders Register for a period of 10 years, imposed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years, and issued a Restraining Order for the same duration.
These measures are intended to protect the community and prevent further harm.
DC Heather Milsom commented on the case, stating, “This was a shocking series of offences which left a very young girl upset and her family horrified, and saw police officers subjected to violence and extreme threats.
To add further insult, Ghosh used Facebook to contact the girl’s mother in an attempt to get proceedings against him dropped, despite having already admitted his awful crimes in court.
I want to commend the girl for her bravery in speaking to police about what was undoubtedly a very worrying incident for her, and also want to thank her family.
I hope the wider public can feel reassured that Ghosh was quickly identified by police and arrested for his actions, and is now behind bars.”
