8:23am Thursday 9th September 2010
By Bruce Unwin
A BARMAN followed a teenage girl before he carried out a “monstrous” late-night attack.
Ashley Colville, who grabbed and struggled with the 16-year-old, trying to remove her top, only stopped when she managed to bite his fingers.
Colville, who fled the scene, was later picked out on security footage that showed him removing money from a cashpoint at Sainsbury’s, in Peterlee, County Durham, prior to the attack, shortly before midnight on Thursday, June 10.
Durham Crown Court heard that Colville, then 19, initially denied the attack.
But after he was shown the CCTV footage, he told police he did not know the girl, but for “some unknown reason”
decided to follow her along what is locally known as The Black Path.
He admitted he had a sexual motive and may have tried to rape her if she had not successfully resisted.
Mark Giuliani, prosecuting, said the attack had left the girl frightened to go out in Peterlee.
Colville, now 20, of Cotswold Place, Peterlee, was initially accused of false imprisonment and attempted rape, but those charges were left on the file, after he admitted sexual assault.
Nick Cartmell, in mitigation, handed the judge character testimonials about Colville, who has no previous convictions.
Mr Cartmell said a letter written by Colville outlined his contrition for what had happened.
He said: “His motivation was wicked, fuelled by fantasies, but this got no further than a sexual assault.”
Describing what took place as monstrous, the judge imposed a jail sentence of three years and four months.
Colville, who must sign the sex offenders’ register for life, will start the sentence in a young offenders’ institution, but, on reaching 21, will complete it in an adult prison.
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