Aaron Grimshaw, 23, of Mountview Park in Lisburn, was sentenced at Bradford Crown Court on Thursday, 17 September, to one year in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of sexual assault. The offences took place on the afternoon of Friday, 22 May, at Tutshill Recreation Ground in Gloucestershire.
According to court details, Grimshaw approached two 16-year-old girls in a wooded section of the recreation ground, falsely claiming to be a police officer. He told the girls he needed to conduct a search and showed them a wallet with a metal emblem to support his claim. Grimshaw threatened to take them to a police station or contact their parents if they refused the search.
Fearing the consequences of refusal, the girls complied, but Grimshaw then sexually assaulted them by touching their breasts, legs, and bottoms underneath their clothing. One girl called out to stop, attracting the attention of their friends, who gathered around Grimshaw and recorded the incident on video.
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The recording captured Grimshaw insisting “she consented” and stating he would call for uniformed officers before leaving the scene. Police were notified later that day, and Grimshaw was identified through the video and his clothing.
He was taken into police custody and charged with two counts of sexual assault. Grimshaw appeared at Cheltenham Magistrates' Court on 25 May, where he pleaded guilty and was released on bail with conditions prohibiting unsupervised contact with anyone under 18.
In the same hearing, Grimshaw received an additional four-and-a-half-year sentence for unrelated sexual offences investigated by West Yorkshire Police. These 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.
He has been placed on the Sex Offender Register and issued a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, both for indefinite periods.
Victim impact statements read during sentencing revealed the profound effects on the two girls. One spoke of ongoing anxiety, nightmares, and a loss of trust, saying: “Situations that may feel normal to others feel overwhelming and little things remind me of what happened… I no longer feel safe around big crowds and sometimes I feel unsafe walking on my own, especially past men.”
The other stated: “This situation has made me second guess myself in what a real police officer is… It has left me with trauma and a long-term fear of authority. I had to take time away from school and missed an important exam. My last day of school was meant to be filled with fun memories but instead turned into a traumatic, scary and overwhelming day.”
Detective Constable Caroline George, from the Child Abuse Investigation Team, praised the victims' bravery and the quick action of their friends in capturing the incident on video. She acknowledged that while the sentence cannot erase the trauma, it may help the victims begin to move on.
A spokesperson for Gloucestershire Police urged anyone who has experienced sexual abuse to seek support. Advice and reporting information is available through Gloucestershire Police and the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC). Support services are available regardless of whether victims choose to pursue criminal proceedings.