A MAN has been jailed after targeting four girls on public transport and at a supermarket in Ashton.
Steven Collins inappropriately touched, threatened and stalked the under-16s, causing untold distress.
Two of them managed to take photographs of the 23-year-old, of Burnley, Lancashire, on their mobile phones, leading the police directly to him.
And at Manchester Crown Court on Wednesday, October 19, he was locked up for seven years and six months for three sexual assaults – offences he had pleaded guilty to at an earlier hearing, along with one count of voyeurism.
Collins, of Pink Street in the town, was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for 10 years and was placed on the Sex Offender’s Register for life.
On November 17, a girl, who was 14 at the time, was followed up the stairs on the bus home, and had her skirt lifted as Collins was caught filming.
On February 1, he seriously sexually assaulted a girl, who was also 14 at the time, and was on her way home from school on the bus.
A week later, Collins attacked ed two girls in separate incidents on the same day and Judge Matthew Corbett-Jones ruled he posed a “significant risk of serious harm” to the public.
Passing sentence, he said: “In each offence, you preyed upon young girls in order to meet your own distorted sexual urges.
“The effect of your offending on these young girls was to cause them considerable upset and distress at the time, but also there has been ongoing upset and distress.
“These young girls, their families and the public will rightly be concerned about the risk you present as a result of what you have done.
“Your offending is aggravated by the fact there were repeated offences committed during a period of around four months, and that there was the deliberate targeting of these young girls. There was a clear and significant disparity in your ages.
“You also resorted to threats and there are worrying features of your offending such as repeated attempts to video record victims.
“Your diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) does not excuse your offending but it does place it into the context referred to by your counsel.”
After Collins, who appeared via video link, was sentenced, Detective Constable Victoria Eronini, of Greater Manchester Police’s Child Protection Investigation Unit, which is based in Ashton, said: “This is a good sentencing result for all involved. What this man put these young females through is absolutely horrendous.
“I would like to commend the bravery and strength of the victims coming forward to report the sexual assaults. We know this can’t have been easy and we are grateful for all of their assistance throughout the investigation.
“Without their help, a very dangerous man would still be preying on young females on the streets of Greater Manchester.”
If you or someone you know has been raped or sexually assaulted, we encourage you not to suffer in silence and report it to the police, or a support agency so you can get the help and support available. Greater Manchester Police can be contacted via gmp.police.uk or 101.
In an emergency, always dial 999. Information about crime can also be shared anonymously via the independent charity – Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.