Overview
- A jury found Christopher Burns guilty in March of two counts of sexual assault of a girl under 14 and he was sentenced this week to an extended eight-year term made up of seven years' custody and one year on licence.
- The judge ordered Burns to sign the Sex Offenders' Register for life and placed him under a Sexual Harm Prevention Order that requires him to notify police of moves and prevents him from living with or entering homes with children under 16 without social services' permission.
- Prosecutors told the court Burns lured the child with a gift and threatened to 'bray' the victim during the assault, and the victim said the abuse left them feeling scared, dirty and confused.
- Defence lawyers said Burns, a 72-year-old retired nurse with multiple health problems, is struggling in custody and he continues to deny the offences, but the judge recorded a lack of apparent remorse or insight.
- Cleveland Police praised the victim's courage in reporting the decades-old abuse in 2021 and said the sentence and the register and prevention order will help protect the victim and other vulnerable people.