Record details
A sex offender exposed himself to an underage girl, then claimed he did it because he suffered from erectile dysfunction.
Ian Maiden, 48, groomed and sent sexual messages to the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons.
Prosecutor Aisha Wadoodi told how Maiden exposed himself: “He had his trousers down around his knees and was playing with his genitals.”
She described the sexual messages sent by Maiden to the schoolgirl.
She said: “He has called her beautiful and said he was jealous when she mentioned other boys.
“He told her in one message that she had the best bum she had ever seen and wouldn’t mind being pinned down by her.”
The girl’s mother found the messages on her daughter’s phone, including a photograph of Maiden’s private parts.
The mum took screenshots and reported the matter to the police back in December 2017.
In police interview, Maiden denied he was performing a sex act in front of the girl, and claimed he was fondling touching his genitals because as he had erectile disfunction.
“He said he didn’t do it for sexual reasons, he did it because he was bored,” said Miss Wadoodi at Teesside Crown Court
Maiden, formerly of Hartlepool, now of Blenheim Road, Doncaster, later admitted sexual activity in the presence of a child and engaging in sexual communication with a child, his first conviction.
Stephen Constantine, defending, said: “He is somewhat at a loss to explain why he behaved as he did.
“There is grooming-type behaviour.
“Clearly you’re dealing with a man of good character, married with children himself.
“There have been consequences as far as his family are concerned. They are no longer a family because of Mr Maiden’s behaviour.
“He’s obtained any help he could to reduce any risk of this ever happening again.
“There is work that can be done and he has expressed the willingness and desire to engage with it.”
He added there had been a delay of more than two years in the case as Maiden was interviewed two days after the offence but not charged until two years later.
Judge Paul Watson QC told Maiden: “You, and the victim’s family, have had to wait a considerable period of time - far too long - for this matter to end up here today.
“You did all you could, and so I take into account very much the delay in this case.”
Sexual activity in the presence of a child carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.
But under sentencing guidelines, unemployed Maiden’s offence would see him jailed for just four months, of which he would serve two.
“That clearly wouldn’t provide any time whatsoever for any sexual offender treatment programme of any sort,” added the judge.
“You’d be released fairly soon from that sentence.
“You are not considered a danger to the public.
“It seems to me to be better for the public that you receive the benefit of a sex offender treatment programme.”
A one-to-one programme was part of a four-month jail term suspended for two years given to Maiden, with 25 days’ rehabilitation activity.
He was given a sexual harm prevention order banning unsupervised contact or communication with under-16s and governing his use of the internet, devices and social media, and will be on the sex offenders’ register, all for 10 years.
