Sex offender jailed for four years

Peter Cox, of Brambling Way, Blackbird Leys, admitted sexually assaulting the child at her home on two occasions between June 2005 and April 2006.

Jonathan Coode, prosecuting, told Oxford Crown Court allegations first came to light in June last year, when the girl told her mother Cox had touched her and a friend and had behaved in an inappropriate manner.

On one occasion she said he sexually assaulted her while her friend was present. She said he had told her not to tell anyone what had happened.

The court heard Cox denied the assaults when interviewed by police and said he could not think of any reason why the girl would have made the allegations.

But he later pleaded guilty to one count of assault of a child under 13 and another of sexual assault of a child under 13.

Cameron Brown, defending Cox, a 47-year-old lorry driver with no previous convictions, said: "He wouldn't consider himself a highly academically qualified man. It may have taken some time for the penny to drop as to how wrong his behaviour was.

"But he is not in denial and has now acknowledged that it was wrong."

He added that Cox had been drinking at the time of the incidents.

But Judge Hall told Mr Brown that drinking was no excuse.

He added: "He hasn't a clue about how adults should behave with teenage girls.

"He behaved entirely wrongly and he was entirely at fault."

Jailing Cox for four years, Judge Hall said he had "seriously abused" the relationship he had with the girl.

He said: "These were disgraceful episodes."

Cox will be on the sex offenders' register for the rest of his life.

Earlier this year, Judge Hall hit the headlines after fury erupted over the "lenient" sentences he handed to two sex offenders.

In June, he saved a paedophile from a long jail term after stating the 10-year-old rape victim dressed "provocatively".

Window cleaner Keith Fenn, 25, of Starwort Path, Blackbird Leys, was given concurrent two-year and 18-month sentences, but could be free in months after spending eight months in jail on remand In February, Eric Cole, 71, of Church Street, Bedford, was given a suspended nine-month jail term by Judge Hall after admitting sexually assaulting a six-year-old girl as she played in a garden in Barton, Oxford, last summer.

However, Judge Hall then angered the victim's family by ordering Cole to pay £250 compensation, adding: "If it buys her a nice new bicycle, that's the sort of thing that might cheer her up."