Locations
Fernhurst Road, East Croydon, Croydon, Surrey, CR0
Description
An Addiscombe man who sexually assaulted a 61-year-old with learning difficulties has been sentenced to a 36-month supervision order.
Colin Ford, a painter and decorator from Fernhurst Road, was sentenced to the order at Croydon Magistrates’ Court on Friday after pleading guilty to the three counts of sexual assault at an earlier hearing.
He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register.
The court heard how Ford had duped the victim into getting into his work van after offering her a lift to Croydon in 2005.
Magistrates were told Ford had driven the victim to a remote car park in Shirley Hills and masturbated over her. Ford was caught after his DNA was taken in an unrelated matter and linked to the assault through the police’s national DNA database.
He was arrested in April 2008 and admitted the offences during interview.
Detective Constable Rob Buckell of Croydon’s Sapphire Unit said: “Ford targeted a vulnerable woman, a pensioner who was suffering from significant learning difficulties at the time of the offence.
"He committed grossly unpleasant sexual acts on her, knowing she wasn’t capable of understanding fully what was going on.
"DNA evidence taken at the time of his arrest for an unrelated matter was crucial to solving this case, and without it Ford might never have been traced and brought to justice."
Yvonne Traynor, chief executive of Croydon Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre condemned the sentence saying it was too light.
“It is not even a rap on the knuckles. This sends a message out to sex offenders that they can do what ever they like and walk away with a supervision order as long as they admit their crime.”