An Armagh man who seriously assaulted a young girl – leaving her so traumatised she attempted to take her own life – has walked free from court.
Joshua James Thompson, of Gaol Square, appeared before Newry Crown Court today (Tuesday) for sentencing on a single count of grievous bodily harm (GHB).
The 22-year-old was originally charged with rape, attempted rape and sexual assault, all charges he denied.
The case was listed for trial on June 19 of this year, however, on that date, following discussions between defence and the Crown Prosecution Service, a fourth count of GBH was added. This plea was accepted by the prosecution with the first three charges left on the books.
The case was brought against Thompson after police were tasked to Craigavon Area Hospital to speak to a 17-year-old female on May 24, 2021.
She had disclosed the incident, which took place six days previous, to a staff nurse in the hospital.
The court heard that the teenage complainant had been in hospital for six days as an inpatient receiving treatment after attempting suicide on the night of the incident.
When police arrived at the hospital, the injured party provided them with an initial account of what had happened.
She explained that the incident occurred in a room at an abandoned house on Barrack Hill in Armagh – a derelict property known to be “a popular drinking location for young people”.
The following day, Tuesday, May 25, the injured party was discharged from hospital and attended the police station, but she was “too exhausted to participate in the interview that day”.
On Friday, June 4, 2021, she attended Mahon Road police station in Portadown and took part in an interview where she stated that on Tuesday, May 18, she was out drinking with three friends in Armagh. She and her three friends attempted to get others to join them; eventually they were joined by the defendant.
After a while, all five agreed to go to the abandoned house on Barrack Hill.
She told police that Thompson had taken what she believed to be Ketamine whilst at the abandoned house and described him as being in a “bad way”.
She herself had been drinking some vodka, but mostly gin she’d taken from her mother’s house. She then recalled the defendant and her friend – another girl – going upstairs while she remained downstairs with other friends – two males.
A short time later she went upstairs with her friend (one of the males) to see where Thompson and her female friend were. Once located, she describes her female friend going downstairs with her other male friend. She went to follow them, at which point, the prosecution say, the incident involving Thompson, took place.
His Honour Judge Paul Ramsey KC said: “That’s where he accepts he grabbed her by the face, pushed her backwards, whereupon he grabbed her by the head, pushed it downwards, causing her to be in fear of a further, immediate physical assault.
“She feared a sexual assault would occur in the course of the incident. She went to the floor, falling to her hands and knees, and she suffered bruising of legs and arm.
“The other friends, they came upstairs to check on her and found her sitting on the edge of a broken window frame with her legs outside. She stated she was contemplating jumping whenever she was pulled to safety by one of her friends.
“She didn’t disclose any of the incident to her female friend. She then [attempted suicide] that night and was subsequently in hospital the following morning…then six days later, she made disclosures to a nurse, which led to the police interview.”
Thompson was interviewed on May 25, 2021 and he made no admissions but he was interviewed again on May 16, 2022 – almost a full year later, at which point he told police he was taking drink and drugs, which made him “very disorientated”, accepting his recollection of the night was vague.
Addressing the complainant’s victim impact statement, Judge Ramsey said the teenager had gone out following a breakup.
She reported that the assault by the accused “was a tipping point”, and she reported that “when that happened, she decided to [end] her life”.
“The reason for making the disclosure about the incident,” said Judge Ramsey, “was that she wanted her family to understand what she was going through”.
The judge alluded to the victim’s “poor sleep and having nightmares, panic attacks, hyperventilation and eventually breaking down and crying”.
“The assault,” he said “was a big factor in her decision to leave Northern Ireland” for her studies. That decision meant “she was gradually able to increase her confidence being away from home and away from people who knew about the assault”.
The judge praised how the victim had demonstrated “great resilience” in how she dealt with the matter.
Turning to the pre-sentence report prepared for Thompson, Judge Ramsey spoke of “a chaotic childhood that involved social services” but that since the incident three and a half years ago, he “has actively addressed his drug use and has not come to police attention since”.
In passing sentence, Judge Ramsey concluded: “The landscape of the case, in my view, has been dramatically altered by the removal of the other charges and the acceptance of the plea to [GBH], therefore I must pass a sentence that reflects the aggravating and mitigating factors.”
In his concluding remarks, Judge Ramsey alluded to the fact Thompson has no previous convictions and that there has been no pattern, or escalation, of this nature of offending.
“While the custody threshold has been passed,” said the judge, “I do not believe it’s necessary to pass an immediate sentence of imprisonment, and in my view, the appropriate sentence is one of 18 months imprisonment, which I will suspend for a period of three years.”
A five year Restraining Order was placed upon Thompson in relation to his victim.
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