Man, 23, impersonated police officer to search and sexually assault two teenage girls at playground is jailed
A man who approached two teenage girls pretending to be a police officer before sexually assaulting them has been put behind bars.
Listen to this article
Aaron Grimshaw told the girls, who were attending a gathering at Tutshill Recreation Ground, Gloucestershire, in May, that he would have to take them to a police station or call their parents if they refused a search.
A court heard that he produced a wallet with a metal emblem and told the girls that he would have to take them to a police station or call their parents if they refused the search.
Grimshaw, 23, proceeded to sexually assault the girls by touching their breasts, legs and bottoms under their clothing.
He was also jailed for a string of unrelated sexual offences.
Want LBC stories before everyone else? Set us as your Preferred Source on Google
Read more: Far-right activist Danny Tommo arrested after boat slashed in Channel with French coastguard aboard
One of the girls in the incident shouted for him to stop before alerting their friends to what was happening, who then recorded Grimshaw, who told them they had consented.
Police were notified later that day, and Grimshaw was identified from the video recording and the clothing he was wearing.
He was arrested and charged with two counts of sexual assault which he later pleaded guilty to.
In a victim impact statement, one of the girls told an earlier hearing: "Since the incident I have struggled with loss of confidence in myself, anxiety and difficulty in trusting others.
"I have been having nightmares, hearing voices and seeing things that aren't there.
"Situations that may feel normal to others feel overwhelming and little things remind me of what happened, making me go quiet and isolated.
"I no longer feel safe around big crowds and sometimes I feel unsafe walking on my own, especially past men. I find it very hard to believe people are who they say they are.
"Even though I am trying to move forward, the effects on me mentally will always remain and I will always remember what he did to me."
The second girl said: "Since I was young, I have always been told to respect police officers and to go to them if I am ever in trouble, but this situation has made me second guess myself in what a real police officer is.
"When this man approached me claiming to be a police officer, I felt intimidated, it has now left me with a trauma and a long-term fear of authority.
"My last day of school was meant to be filled with fun memories with all my friends but instead got turned into a traumatic, scary and overwhelming day that will haunt me for the rest of my life.
"Although I am trying to move forward the effects are ongoing and have changed me."
Grimshaw, of Mountview Park in Lisburn, alaso appeared at Bradford Crown Court last week where he was sentenced to one year in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of sexual assault.
During the same hearing he was also sentenced to an additional four and a half years in prison to run consecutively for unrelated offences which were investigated by West Yorkshire Police.
He had admitted to several offences which included sexual assault on a female, sexual activity with a child, engaging in sexual communication with a child and making indecent photographs of a child.
Grimshaw was also added to the Sex Offender Register for an indefinite period of time and issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for an indefinite period of time.In relation to the Gloucestershire offences.