Stephen Denison 53

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Update

A man who sexually assaulted a woman on board a train has been jailed following a British Transport Police (BTP) investigation.

Stephen Denison, 53, and of Baxter Avenue, Newcastle, pleaded guilty to Sexual Assault and was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment at North Shields Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 14 May.

He was also placed on the sex offenders register for seven years.

The court heard how, on 2 February this year, a visibly intoxicated Denison boarded a train at Newcastle station and sat opposite a 56-year-old woman. He immediately attempted to engage her in conversation.

His remarks became increasingly lewd and she was subject to a barrage of inappropriate questions.

When Denison asked the woman to move her luggage so he could sit next to her, she refused and made it clear she would not be engaging with him. However, he persisted and went on to sexually assault her before leaving the service at Durham station.

An off-duty Metropolitan Police Service officer sitting nearby spotted the distressed victim and immediately approached to comfort her. 

She told the victim she had reported what happened to BTP and detectives launched an investigation to track Denison down.

He was arrested two days later at his home address and questioned in custody before being released on conditional bail while detectives gathered evidence to charge him.   

After being released Denison was arrested again at Newcastle station for breaching his bail conditions which stipulated that he must not enter the railway.

Danison’s sexual assault charge was authorised on Monday 2 March.

BTP Detective Constable Adil Ahmed said: “Denison’s crude comments and subsequent assault have had a lasting impact on the victim.

“Being drunk is absolutely no excuse for sexual assault – it is hoped that now behind bars, Denison takes the opportunity to consider the effects of his lecherous behaviour.”

2023-07-20

A convicted sex offender tried to hug and kiss a woman in front of her young daughter as they sat in the back of a church.

Stephen Denison, who has two previous convictions for sexual assault, including one where he left a teenage schoolgirl hyperventilating in shock by groping her at a city centre bus station, spotted the female and child at the church in Fenham, one day in May this year. The 50-year-old pervert then sat next to the woman and hugged her before "forcibly pulling her" towards him and trying to kiss her, a court heard.

The terrified victim pushed the pervert away as concerned members of public, who had seen what was happening, intervened, prosecutors said. Denison, of Baxter Avenue, in Fenham, was arrested and charged with one count of sexual assault.

He failed to show for a subsequent hearing at Newcastle Magistrates' Court and a warrant was issued for his arrest, however, he was finally detained last month, pleaded guilty to the offence and the case was adjourned to this week for sentence. Gurjot Kaur, prosecuting, said the victim, who was unknown to Denison, and her young daughter were sat in the church one day in May this year when Denison approached them.

Miss Kaur continued: "The defendant initially hugged her. He kept trying to talk to her and offered her daughter a coin. The defendant then put his arm around her back and made an attempt to forcibly pull her towards him to try and kiss her. She pushed him away."

In a statement, the victim said she'd been left suffering from heart palpitations and having to take anti-nausea pills. She also said she had been unable to return to the church since the incident.

The court heard that Denison had 46 offences on his record, including two for sexual assault from 2021 and 2016. For the 2021 offence, which involved groping the teenage schoolgirl at Eldon Square bus station, he was jailed for 16 months and made to sign the Sex Offenders' Register for 10 years.

Andy O'Hanlon, defending, said Denison wasn't "bad to the bone" but, instead, "undiagnosed" with a limited understanding. Mr O'Hanlon added: "He hasn't addressed his offending behaviour in custody.

"Probation want to keep working with him on an intensive basis. Doing something to stop him drinking so heavily would be a good start. You can lock him up for a short time but it won't address anything. Probation want to put a great deal of work into him. Until that's done, he will just wander around being a pain."

Magistrates jailed Denison for 20 weeks and told him he must also sign the Sex Offenders' Register for seven years.