Grandfather from Flintshire jailed for sexual offences involving underage girl


A grandfather who incited a young girl to send naked photographs has been sent to prison for nearly a year.
Norman Ball used social media including WhatsAp and Snapchat to contact the girl and he also sexually touched on two occasions in shops.
Sentencing him to 51 weeks in prison, Judge Rhys Rowlands told Ball: “This is wholly inappropriate sexual behaviour which has had a continued effect on your victim.”

Mold Crown Court was told Ball sent a series of messages to the girl which started when she was 13.
He progressed to asking her to send him pictures of her naked.
Then on two occasions Ball sexually touched the girl.

He stroked her clothing on the bottom in a local shop and then in a chemist shop in Prestatyn he told her to put her hands into his pocket to take out some paracetamol he had bought for her.

When she did this he touched her breast.

Prosecutor Matthew Coutts said: “He (Ball) was asking for naked photographs, but said that “pussy” wasn’t being sexual.
“He said he started sending the messages when his wife died and he had become isolated and he wanted the pictures for his own gratification.
“He targeted a particularly vulnerable victim.”
The court was told that police also found photographs of Ball’s penis on his phone, but said he could not recall taking them and these were not sent to his victim.
“He said he felt disgusted, but he couldn’t remember doing it. He said he would never touch the complainant,” added the prosecutor.

In a victim impact statement read to the court the teenager, now 17, said she had to receive counselling and had been diagnosed with anxiety.

Ball, 62, of North Street, Caerwys, pleaded guilty to inciting a child between the ages of 13 and 15 to commit a sexual act and two charges of sexual assault.

Ball was also placed on a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for seven years and told to sign on the Sex Offenders’ Register for a similar period.