Leeds judge slams 'inexplicable delay' in bringing man who sexually assaulted woman to court
The court heard how it took 18 months to formally charge him
A judge in Leeds has slammed the “inexplicable delay” in bringing a man who sexually assaulted a woman to court.
Christopher Benjamin was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court today after pleading guilty to sexual assault, over three years after the offence took place.
Despite admitting the offence to the police, the court heard how it took 18 months for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and West Yorkshire Police to formally charge him.
Benjamin initially pleaded not guilty, before changing his plea on the first day of his trial last month.
Judge Neil Clark slammed this “inexplicable delay” and said: “I cannot understand for the life of me why it took the CPS and police so long.”
Prosecutor Andrew Semple told the court how the 44-year-old had attacked the victim.
Police were later called after she told her mother what had happened and Benjamin, of Hamilton Avenue, Chapeltown, was arrested.
In a victim impact statement, the court heard how the woman “felt dirty” immediately after the assault and had since suffered from “trust and intimacy issues.”
Offering mitigation, defence counsel Andrea Parnham said that her client, who has 14 convictions from 44 previous offences, had not been in trouble since 2007 and was remorseful for what he had done.
She said that Benjamin, who works full-time as a forklift driver, cared for his elderly mother. He has also entered into alcohol rehabilitation.
Judge Clark sentenced the 44-year-old to 16 months in prison, suspended for two years. He will be required to complete 25 activity rehabilitation days, 200 hours of unpaid work and be subject to an alcohol monitoring requirement for 90 days.
He said that while the defendant had “taken advantage” of the effects of the alcohol and drugs, he had a “realistic prospect of rehabilitation.”