Man, 64, sexually assaults teen girl after sneaking into school dressed in uniform to pass off as student
A 64-year-old man described as "lonely" will not be sent to jail despite admitting to sexually assaulting a girl, 14, while dressed in a school uniform.
Michael Wilson was arrested last year at a school in Bridlington, Hull, after he was caught by a member of staff standing in an area that was out of bounds while wearing a wig, a white shirt, a blazer, and a tie to pass off as a student, according to the Daily Mail.
Prosecutor Richard Thompson told the Hull Crown Court that, on January 8, 2019, Wilson approached two schoolgirls, and "without asking anything he squeezed one of the girl's bottoms before walking towards the school."
Thompson said that when the 64-year-old was caught standing in the out-of-bounds area, the staff member initially thought he was a student because of his attire, only to realize otherwise when he got closer.
"The defendant said he was looking for someone but immediately walked off down the driveway," Thompson said. "The member of staff managed to take a picture of the defendant."
Wilson was arrested the next day, and officers found on him a fake school identification card which contained an old picture of him. When they searched his home, they uncovered blazers containing crests of different schools and a secret room with a document titled, "My Life as A 13-year-old Schoolboy."
Earlier this week, Wilson pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault.
"She [the victim] has become anxious, introverted, lost confidence, self-conscious, she has self-harmed and become a very unhappy young lady," Judge David Tremberg told Wilson. "She should not have to bear that burden and you are responsible for it."
Sentencing Wilson to 12 months in prison suspended for two years, Tremberg said the case was an "unusual" and "sad" one, but also one that had "troubling features."
"On the one hand, you are clearly an intelligent 64-year-old man with no previous convictions and have a very good work record," the judge continued. "On the other hand, the evidence and the content of the pre-sentence report indicate you have, as the years wore on, become a lonely, isolated, socially inadequate member of society and against that background you developed an unhealthy preoccupation of a life as a schoolboy."
Besides the suspended sentence, Wilson was also ordered to adhere to a sexual harm prevention order for seven years in which he is prohibited from buying school clothing.
He was barred from going within 100 meters of the perimeter boundaries of a school and from having contact with any child under the age of 16 who is unrelated to him as well. Furthermore, he will have to complete 31 sessions with the Horizon program to address his offending.