Man jailed over schoolgirl sex attack
Friday, 13 Apr 2007 20:08
Kevin Toner was caught on CCTV following the girl
A Teesside man has been jailed for a minimum of four years for sexually assaulting a schoolgirl.
CCTV pictures recorded on a bus in the county helped bring about the prosecution after Kevin Toner, 20, was caught following the nine-year-old girl off the bus.
Toner, of Thomas Street in North Ormesby, Middlesbrough, was handed an indefinite sentence at Teesside crown court today.
The footage was shown in court and police said it have proved central to securing a quick conviction after the attack last September.
Toner handed himself into police after the CCTV images were released to the media and was found guilty of sexual assault and causing a child to engage in sexual activity.
Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Inspector Stan Drummond of Cleveland Police called Toner a "predatory paedophile and a very dangerous man".
"There is no doubt in my mind that we would have got him eventually but the CCTV undoubtedly helped us," Det Insp Drummond said outside court.
"He has showed no remorse…that makes him very dangerous."
He added: "I echo the thoughts of the judge on this…The sentence that has been passed is fair."
Toner was previously handed a community penalty for indecently assaulting two young boys, aged nine and ten, in 2002.
An off-camera statement read by the young girl's father outside court said the last seven months had been a "shocking experience" for the family.