Man found guilty of inappropriately touching pensioner

Wednesday 23 June 2021

A 26-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting a woman in her 70s in a car park has been found unanimously guilty by a jury.

Charley Mills was accused of touching the woman inappropriately and without her consent in the basement car park of a block of flats on 4 November last year – which he denied.

On Monday, as the trial opened, Crown Advocate Mike Preston told the jury that prior to the assault, Mills had asked a woman in her 60s living in the same building as his ex-girlfriend “for a cuddle”. She was so scared that she ran away and fell down some stairs, breaking a bone in her hand.

Mills returned to the car park, where he found two women returning their mobility scooters to a secure cage, where they were stored.

Mills then, Advocate Preston said, pressed up against one of the women, who was in her 70s, and put his hands under her jacket - one hand reaching inside her trousers to touch her bottom and the other, remaining outside, touching her front.

“It did not last long but it was sustained and deliberate,” said Advocate Preston. “As they left, the woman turned around to see him with his hands down his trousers, playing with himself.”

Mr Mills then allegedly followed the women to their third-floor landing. The woman in her 70s pulled her friend, who has since passed away, into her flat, locking the door and then dialling 999 to report the incident.

The victim described Mills as “creepy”, “intimidating” and a “dirty sod” when she took the stand on Monday. She added that he had stunk of alcohol and body odour. 

“He was very shifty,” she said. “He had his hoodie up and he just looked threatening. I felt physically sick; it was horrendous.”  

When Mills himself took the stand to protest his innocence, he said the victim had been lying.

He said he had drunk about eight cans of beer in the morning before entering the block of flats as he had taken to drinking to cope with anxiety and depression after splitting up with a woman who lived in the building.

He had gone there “to try to fix” the relationship - even though, by doing so, he was breaking a bail condition imposed by the Magistrate’s Court a month earlier, after being charged with illegal entry into her apartment in May 2020.

His former girlfriend was out and, desperate for the toilet, Mr Mills said he went down to the car park to urinate. 

He saw the pensioners in a corner storing their mobility scooters and wanted to “speed the process up” without saying he needed the toilet.

“I possibly accidentally touched one of the women but certainly not in any sexual manner,” he said. “I was trying to be polite and helpful.”

At this stage, Mr Mills admitted that he “half-wet” himself and he then “rearranged himself” with his hands. He denied “playing with himself” - something his accuser said he had done as she hurriedly left the area to return to her third-floor flat.

Asked if he would like to apologise to the woman, he said: “I would like to say sorry for approaching with my hood up and coming across like that. 

“I meant nothing other than trying to be helpful. I want to say sorry for approaching her and making her feel scared.”

The jury of seven men and five women retired for three hours and 50 minutes before returning a unanimous verdict of guilty. 

The date for Mills’ sentencing will be set on 2 July and he will remain in custody until this time.

As a result of the verdict, Mills’ name has been added to the Sex Offenders’ Register.