Lifeguard convicted of sex assault

A LIFEGUARD at a Suffolk holiday park sexually attacked an under aged guest an Ipswich Crown Court heard.

Adam Giles asked the 15-year-old for a kiss then groped her during her holiday at Centre Parks in Brandon.

Stephen Rose, prosecuting said the 23-year-old of Abbots Bury Road, Bury St Edmunds denied sexual assault but a jury found him guilty following a trial.

Judge John Devaux said: “She told the jury that after you solved her coin/token problem you asked her 'don't I get a kiss' and you grabbed her in the groin area but over her bikini and you touched her breasts roughly over her clothing”.

He said Giles, who had since lost his job and now works for Greene King, then pulled down his shorts and ordered the girl to perform oral sex.

Judge Devaux said the girl said she had felt “vulnerable” since the “unwelcome sexual touching”.

He added: “You used your position as a lifeguard at Centre Parks to line yourself with sexual encounters. This offence was a gross intrusion of her and one which upset her very much at the time”.

Charles Myatt, mitigating for Giles said his client was not blaming the teenager for what happened but he had believed she had sexual intentions when she invited him to her chalet. He said she had been overly friendly with others and Giles had misread her signals.

Mr Myatt added: “He was not going up to every single woman and trying it on but there were signs. He was however in a position of responsibility and should not have been trying it on with anybody”.

Giles was sentenced to 10 months in prison suspended for 18 months. He was also put on a 12-month supervision requirement and told to pay £500 compensation to the girl.

Judge Devaux said to Giles: “Unusually in a sexual case I'm going to order compensation and hope she doesn't feel it is derisory but I have to consider your financial position”.