Marin Cristea 61

Description

A drunken 61-year-old man, Marin Cristea, of Melbourne Street, west Hull, targeted two young children in a park, kissing them in "unpleasant and upsetting" encounters that left them shocked and anxious. He later kissed a woman in an "unsettling" street confrontation, Hull Crown Court heard.

Cristea admitted sexually assaulting a child under 13 twice on August 17 last year and assaulting a woman on February 22 this year. He had prior convictions, including a 2023 assault where he grabbed a child's wrist in Pearson Park after seeking a fist bump.

Prosecutor Jazmine Lee said Cristea approached a 12-year-old girl and 10-year-old boy playing in the park, speaking unintelligibly in non-English. He kissed the girl's hand and cheek, and the boy's hand and mouth. The boy's mother intervened, and Cristea left. The girl felt "freaked out," spotted him staring the next day, and police arrested the apparently drunk man after a chase. She later described lasting anxiety about going out alone, feeling shocked and scared.

On the day of the woman's assault, at 8am en route to Pilates, Cristea—drunk and unsteady—thrust his head into her car window, then kissed her hand and cheek despite her recoiling and trying to flee. He blocked her path, leaving her panicked and trapped until she escaped and called 999. She now feels on edge around men.

Mitigator Stephen Robinson noted the offences occurred while drunk, involved only kissing with no sensitive touching, and "went no further." Cristea apologized, blamed excessive drinking in downtime despite factory work, accepted custody, and hoped to return to Romania and his adult daughter, realizing "there is very little for him here."

Judge Alexander Menary said: "These offences have had an obvious impact on the victims. It was unsettling for them and interfered with their daily routines thereafter."

Cristea was jailed for one year, given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order, and must register as a sex offender for 10 years.