A CONVICTED sex offender from Lostock Gralam sexually assaulted a 17-year-old railway passenger he had been stalking for weeks.
Stephen Bushell, of School Lane, is under a 10-year sexual harm prevention order made against him in March 2018.
The 59-year-old is not allowed to have children under 16 at his home, and is also banned from speaking to any female he does not already know.
His most recent offending began on Saturday, June 20, and lasted until Friday, July 3, starting when he approached the teenage girl while she was travelling on the railway network in Northwich.
To begin with, he simply chatted with her, but as time went on, he began to stalk her by purposefully waiting for her at the station, forcing her to change her routine to avoid him.
On one occasion, he also hugged her when she did not want to be touched.
The matter was reported to Cheshire Police and he was arrested and charged.
Bushell appeared at Chester Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, September 1, where he admitted five counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order, one count of sexual assault, and one count of stalking.
He was sentenced to 12 months in prison.
Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Sophie Ward, of Northwich CID, said: “Bushell was well aware of the conditions of his SHPO, but he purposefully chose to ignore them.
"His actions have had a lasting impact on the victim, who had to change her routine to avoid Bushell, and no longer feels safe travelling on the railway network.
“Thankfully, he has now been held accountable for his actions.
“While the victim will never be able to forget what he did, I do hope the sentence given to Bushell will provide the victim with some reassurance.”
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