Pervert who molested young girl left her struggling to leave bed


A pervert who molested a young girl, leaving her deeply traumatised, has blamed his crime on drink and drugs.
Sex offender Michael Holton, 24 admitted four charges of sexually assaulting a child under 13.
The girl’s mother shared heartbreaking details about the impact the attack had on her daughter
Holton said from the dock as he faced sentence: “I understand what I did wasn’t right.”
Teesside Crown Court heard how he repeatedly touched the very young girl.
The girl told her mother the next day, they went straight to police and forensic evidence including Holton’s DNA was found proving his crimes.
The girl’s mother made a moving and eloquent statement which was read out in the courtroom.
She said: “As a mum I never expected anything as horrible as this to happen to my young daughter.
“I struggle to understand how someone could do something like this to such a young child.
“She told me she thought it was her fault. She was so upset telling me this.
“It was heartbreaking to think she was struggling with blaming herself when it was nothing to do with her.
“She is an innocent child. She shouldn’t have had to go through such a horrible thing.”
She said the sex attacks had a huge impact on her child, who woke up screaming from nightmares and went from outgoing to withdrawn, not wanting to get out of bed.
The girl’s confidence is slowly returning and the mother said she would help and support her as she gets older.
He said he could not remember the offences, which he committed in 2016 in the Stockton area.
A psychiatrist and probation worker had concerns about him coping and being “brutalised” in the prison regime.
Judge Howard Crowson told Holton: “This seems to have happened because of the condition you put yourself in.
“You had enough insight to know this type of behaviour was wrong.
“You offended in this way primarily because you intoxicated from cannabis and drink.”
He said the young girl had been given good advice and told her mother what happened as soon as possible.
“There was scientific evidence which proved she was right,” added the judge.
“This will be your first prison sentence. That will clearly be difficult for you.”
Holton, of Leigh, Greater Manchester, was jailed for three years, with a year’s extra licence.
He was given a sexual harm prevention order governing contact and work with under-16s and will be on the sex offenders’ register, both indefinitely.