Bradford Crown Court judge warns child molesters they will be locked up

Nicholas Clarke was jailed for nine months at Bradford Crown Court yesterday for inciting the child to engage in sexual activity in his car and bombarding her with “grossly inappropriate” texts, including a picture of his penis.

Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC told him: “It was a deliberate, predatory act by a man who knew better and could not control his lust.”

Clarke, who lived in Bradford but moved to The Drive, Hipperholme, pestered the girl to commit a sex act on him after parking on an industrial estate last spring.

Prosecutor David Garnett said the teenager’s friend was in the back of the vehicle at the time.

The forklift truck driver then sent the girl a series of sexual text messages, including the image of his penis. He was arrested in May last year after one of the girl’s friends raised the alarm.

He pleaded guilty to two offences of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

Stephen Couch, Clarke’s barrister, said the offences were out of character and his client was full of remorse.

His father was dying at the time and he turned to the young, immature, girl.

“A dark shadow will hang over this man. He walks daily in shame of the wrong that he did,” Mr Couch said.

Judge Durham Hall said the girl felt sick after the sex act and Clarke then “bombarded” her with text messages.

The incident was traumatic for the child and left her scarred.

“The only sentence I can impose is one of immediate imprisonment,” the judge said. He warned those who molest children that it is “a completely unforgivable offence.”

Clarke must register as a sex offender with the police for ten years and the judge made an indefinite Sexual Offences Prevention Order.

After the case, Detective Constable Alan Sergeant, of Bradford South CID, said: “The fact that this man has received a custodial sentence for what is a first offence simply underlines just how serious both the police and the courts view incidents of this nature.”