Locations
Commercial Street, Norton, Malton, North Yorkshire, YO17
Description
A judge wants to know how dangerous a paedophile is before he sentences him for sexually assaulting a woman on her own in the countryside.
It is the second time Nathan McCracken has been convicted of such an attack. He also has a previous conviction for a sexual crime against a child.
In 2020, he was jailed for driving up to a 16-year-old girl walking on her own in the countryside in Ryedale, getting out of his car, grabbing her from behind and sexually assaulting her.
He had been on parole at the time having been released partway through a prison sentence passed in April 2019 for attempting to incite a child to commit sexual acts.
McCracken initially denied sexually assaulting the woman east of York and maintained his denials up to the day he was due to stand trial at York Crown Court But after she attended court to give evidence against him, he changed his plea.
McCracken, 29, of Commercial Street, Norton, pleaded guilty in front of Judge Simon Hickey to sexually assaulting the woman and two breaches of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) made in August 2020.
The same judge had made the order when sentencing McCracken for the sexual attack on the girl in an attempt to stop him committing more offences. It included a clause banning him from approaching any lone woman in public. McCracken admitted breaching the clause.
The judge said he remembered the details of the offences for which he had sentenced McCracken in 2020.
He ordered probation officers to prepare a report on McCracken.
"I want to know if the probation service has any view of whether he is dangerous," he said.
The judge told the sex offender. "I also want to hear from the young lady (the latest victim). No doubt it has had a great effect on her. People are entitled to go about in North Yorkshire and not be molested by people like you."
Prosecuting, Simon Reevell said the second breach of the SHPO related to a computer. The SHPO had a condition that every time McCracken obtained a device by which he could access the internet he had to tell police about it within three days. But he had not done so.
The computer was not used by the defendant before police got their hands on it and examined it.
McCracken was remanded in custody. He will return to York Crown Court on February 7 to learn his punishment.
McCracken faced a second charge of sexual assault which he had previously denied. Following discussions between his barrister Michael Forrest and Mr Reevell, the prosecution decided not to try him on it alone and it was left on file, meaning it will appear on his police record but is not a criminal conviction.